AI job recruiters used by top companies despite glitches

The use of AI recruiters has rolled out quickly among major companies despite glitches and privacy concerns.

Wafa Shafiq, a 26-year-old Canadian marketing professional and lifestyle influencer, has been job hunting off and on since winter 2024.

She applied for a Marketing Specialist II position with a retirement plan company around midnight and was emailed by someone named Alex almost immediately. Shafiq answered screening questions and scheduled an initial interview with Alex for the next day.

But there was a catch — Alex wasn’t human.

Alex was an AI talent recruiting agent that would also be interviewing her for the position, Shafiq discovered after an internet deep dive into Apriora, the company behind Alex.

Shafiq had stumbled into the world of AI recruiting agents that can interact with candidates via text, phone and even video calls. These AI talent acquisition agents have been used and tested by major brands including the Boston Red Sox, Zillow, Chipotle, Ace Hardware, Sears Home Services, Club Pilates, McDonald’s and more, according to AI recruiting companies.