Machine learning can help mitigate the biases present within organisations' recruiting practices Artificial intelligence has often been portrayed as dystopian when it comes to human resources. In one famous example from 2018, Amazon used it significantly in the hiring process but ultimately had to pull the plug when it was revealed that the algorithm was biased against women. The AI was identifying candidates who used masculine words as successful candidates, and instead of addressing this flaw, it reinforced sexism. Yet technology has come a long way in just the last few years. Machine learning is now being used to tackle the problem of bias within hiring decisions, not just looking coldly at performance metrics.

All the sessions from Transform 2021 are available on-demand now. Joonko has raised $10 million to create a prequalified pool of diverse job candidates for corporate recruiters. The Tel Aviv, Israel-based human resources tech startup is built on a remarkably simple idea. Lots of companies are recruiting diverse candidates in the wake of Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, and other social movements. But they often can hire only one person amid a pool of diverse candidates.

Artificial intelligence is transforming HR. We've already seen a marked rise in the number of HR tools applying machine learning and artificial intelligence to "people problems" in the workplace. As organizations embrace continuous change and greater decentralization, those who put that technology to good use are the ones who will win. At their core, AI and machine learning are just tools. And like any tool, they can do both good and harm.

Unconscious bias is exactly what it sounds like: The associations we make whenever we face a decision are buried so deep (literally--the gland responsible for this, the amygdala, is surrounded by the brain's gray matter) that we're as unaware of them as we are of having to breathe. So it's not much of a surprise that Ilit Raz, cofounder and CEO of Joonko, a new application that acts as diversity "coach" powered by artificial intelligence, wasn't even aware at first of the unconscious bias she was facing as a woman in the course of a normal workday. Raz's experience coming to grips with that informs the way she and her cofounders designed Joonko to work. The tool joins a crowded field of AI-driven solutions for the workplace, but most of what's on the market is meant to root out bias in recruiting and hiring. Joonko, by contrast, is setting its sights on illuminating unconscious bias in the types of workplace experiences where few people even think to look for it.