Headstart, a platform that leverages data science to help companies reduce unconscious bias in the hiring process, has raised $7 million in a seed round of funding led by AI-focused Silicon Valley VC firm FoundersX, with participation from Founders Factory. Launched out of London in 2017, Headstart is one of a growing number of startups promising to help companies increase their diversity during recruitment drives. This is achieved through combining machine learning with myriad data sources to find the best candidates based on specific objective criteria. "The machine -- the algorithms and models -- does this without emotion; fatigue; or overt subjective, conscious, or subconscious opinion or feeling. Unlike a human," Headstart cofounder and chair Nicholas Shekerdemian told VentureBeat.

Recruitment systems are evolving so candidates can use artificial intelligence to match themselves to roles in a similar way they might seek out a partner online. This has benefits for employers too, explains Cath Everett. The idea of being able to find the perfect job candidate who is not only ideal in terms of qualifications and experience but also in terms of cultural fit, ethos and personality sounds too good to be true. Technology is disrupting work, but what do staff think? Nonetheless, it is something that a number of artificial intelligence (AI) systems are claiming to offer recruiters.