Recent years have seen the emergence of AI tools marketed as an answer to the lack of diversity in the workforce, from use of chatbots and CV scrapers to line up prospective candidates to analysis software for video interviews. Those behind the technology claim it cancels out human biases against gender and ethnicity during recruitment, instead using algorithms that read vocabulary, speech patterns and even facial micro-expressions to assess huge pools of job applicants for the right personality type and "culture fit". However, in a new report published in Philosophy and Technology, researchers from Cambridge's Centre for Gender Studies argue these claims make some uses of AI in hiring little better than an "automated pseudoscience" reminiscent of physiognomy or phrenology: the discredited beliefs that personality can be deduced from facial features or skull shape. They say it is a dangerous example of "technosolutionism": turning to technology to provide quick fixes for deep-rooted discrimination issues requiring investment and company culture changes. The'Personality Machine' demonstrates how arbitrary changes in facial expression, clothing, lighting and background can give radically different personality readings – and so could make the difference between rejection and progression for a generation of job seekers vying for graduate positions.

A tsunami of change is already arriving. Artificial intelligence is now capable of doing desk jobs that were previously safe from automation. The social and economic effects remain to be seen, but is AI what we think it is? Workplaces that include artificial intelligence (AI) will soon be reality, say researchers who believe the rise of AI in all areas of life is not only inevitable, it's set to reshape the way we think about consciousness and human identity. From Metropolis to 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Terminator, robots and super-intelligent AIs in film have seduced and terrified our collective consciousness, having an impact on how we view artificial intelligence.

It's time to assess our recruiting wins and losses and to look towards the recruiting trends of the new year. There are three major themes I believe will shape the recruiting trends of 2017. The improving economy: Recent economic gains have translated to increased job openings going hand in hand with decreased unemployment. These gains have created a candidate-driven market that will make competing for talent even tougher this year. Innovations in recruitment technology: Hiring volume is predicted to increase in 2017, which means time-constrained recruiters need better tech tools to enable their success.

Yup, you read that right. A study released last month by the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that algorithms make better hiring decisions than humans do. The study, which was conducted by Mitchell Hoffman, Lisa B. Kahn and Danielle Li, observed over 300,000 hires across 15 companies that employ low-skill workers such as call center operators or data entry employees. The study required the companies to implement hiring assessments created by PeopleMatter that asked candidates a variety of questions about their technical skills, personality, cognitive skills, and fit for the job. In some cases, hiring managers were removed from the process, and hiring decisions were made by an algorithm that based the decision on the test results.