If you've been following the latest hiring trends, you may have noticed that many recruiters are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) tools to tackle discrimination in hiring―and the expectations for success are high. However, HR technology analysts and even executives at companies offering AI solutions caution that a totally bias-free hiring process may be difficult to achieve. Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, found out the hard way. In 2015, the company discovered that a recruiting system it was building with machine-learning algorithms had begun to downgrade certain resumes that included words such as "women's club." By contrast, the system favored male candidates to whom such verbs such as "executed" and "captured" were attributed.

Top e-retailers apply artificial intelligence, bots and a mobile-first approach to push mobile commerce well beyond sites and apps. Many retailers are likely familiar with, and perhaps even own, a Staples Easy Button. They may have even tapped the tchotchke a time or two, prompting the bright red plastic button to cheerfully chirp the office supply retailer's tagline, "That was easy!" But calling out the retailer's slogan was the extent of the Easy Button's capabilities. Staples is testing how consumers react to it incorporating machine learning in its Easy Button that enables shoppers to press the button to order a product by voice, or to ask common questions, such as when an order will be delivered or the status of a return.

Artificial intelligence enables Staples to automate ordering and customer service through its Easy Button. Staples Inc. is testing technology enabling business customers to order products by voice via its Easy Button. The office supplies retailer is applying machine learning technology to the button, allowing customers to press it to order or reorder a product by voice, or to ask common order-related questions, such as when an order will be delivered or the status of a return. The move is part of a big push by Staples Inc., No. 21 in the Internet Retailer 2016 B2B E-Commerce 300, to use machine learning to automate ordering and customer service, says Ryan Bartley, director of mobile for Staples. Machine learning refers to computer programs that teach themselves to grow and change when exposed to new data, without being programmed by an individual.