Job Screening Service Halts Facial Analysis of Applicants

Job hunters may now need to impress not just prospective bosses but artificial intelligence algorithms too--as employers screen candidates by having them answer interview questions on a video that is then assessed by a machine. HireVue, a leading provider of software for vetting job candidates based on an algorithmic assessment, said Tuesday it is killing off a controversial feature of its software: analyzing a person's facial expressions in a video to discern certain characteristics. Job seekers screened by HireVue sit in front of a webcam and answer questions. Their behavior, intonation, and speech is fed to an algorithm that assigns certain traits and qualities. HireVue says that an "algorithmic audit" of its software conducted last year shows it does not harbor bias.