Candidate recounts experience of an AI avatar conducting job interviews

Independent.co reports an author’s first‑hand experience of a job interview conducted by an AI avatar created by HR‑tech firm TestGorilla, an interface designed to look and sound human and used by companies and recruiters to filter candidates. The piece describes the avatar — nicknamed “Carl” by the author — whose unchanging expressions and programmed prompts left the candidate unable to use soft skills or build rapport; the interview produced instant component scores and a percentile ranking (the author placed in the 75th percentile).

Use of AI in recruitment has tripled in the past year in the UK, three in 10 UK employers are implementing AI, 43 per cent of large companies now use AI to interview, and TestGorilla says close to 800 organisations have signed up to plans that include its conversational interview tool.

The article highlights wider effects and concerns: job applications have surged by 239 per cent since ChatGPT’s launch and the average job opening now receives 242 applications, while applications making it to hire stage have dropped by 75 per cent and 54 per cent of recruiters review half or fewer applications.

Key Topics

Tech, Testgorilla, Chatgpt, Greenhouse, Workday, Ai Recruitment