Robot recruiters: can bias be banished from AI hiring?

Michael Scott, the protagonist from the US version of The Office, is using an AI recruiter to hire a receptionist. The text-based system asks applicants five questions that delve into how they responded to past work situations, including dealing with difficult colleagues and juggling competing work demands. Potential employees type their answers into a chat-style program that resembles a responsive help desk. The real – and unnerving – power of AI then kicks in, sending a score and traits profile to the employer, and a personality report to the applicant. This demonstration, by the Melbourne-based startup Sapia.ai,