LinkedIn tests out AI-powered interview screening

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LinkedIn has added a new feature for hiring professionals that aims to reduce their workload by getting artificial intelligence to manage the initial interview process and screen candidates for the next stage.

LinkedIn’s new AI interview option, which is now in early testing for LinkedIn Hiring Pro users, enables hirers to invite top applicants to complete an audio or video screening call with an AI interviewer as a first step of the interview process.

As explained by LinkedIn: “The interview is generated based on the role’s qualifications and includes AI-recommended questions and ideal answers, which the hirer can review and edit before sending to applicants.”

Recruiters will be able to select up to 40 applicants to receive an AI screening interview invitation (or the system can identify them), with candidate answers evaluated “based on alignment with the hirer’s ideal answers,” per LinkedIn. 

Which seems questionable, and a step too far in automating the recruitment process, but then again, as reported by NPR in November, many corporations are already using similar AI screening to filter their hiring process and optimize procedures.

As such, LinkedIn is simply moving with the times. Though it does feel like this should be a personal, human-to-human process, and not one that should be outsourced to AI bots at scale.

Even more concerning, LinkedIn advised candidates in a separate post to be careful in providing certain information, such as health and disability notes, during an AI interview.

“If you need to disclose such data (for example, health data related to an accommodation request), we recommend you provide only what is necessary,” LinkedIn said. “This information will be processed by LinkedIn on behalf of the hirer and shared only with the hirer. The hirer determines the lawful basis for processing for AI Interviews.”

That feels a bit off, and a bit like LinkedIn isn’t even sure what this data could be used for beyond these interviews.

Once a user completes an AI screening interview, hirers will receive the full transcript, as well as the audio or video recording, “along with AI-generated summaries and a 5-point rating based on the hirer’s ideal responses.”

LinkedIn noted that the hirer is responsible for reviewing and verifying all AI-generated information before making any hiring decisions. Meanwhile, interviewees can also request access to their rating, transcript or recording by contacting the hirer.

But ultimately, LinkedIn said, hirers will retain full control over evaluation and can decide how to proceed with each candidate.

Conceptually, the option is designed to give recruiters more opportunity to screen candidates at scale, and whittle the applicant group down to the best-suited respondents. But it feels a little impersonal, and maybe puts too much faith in LinkedIn’s AI systems to know and understand specific business needs.

Of course, nobody has to use this. It’s just another option within LinkedIn’s recruiter tools. But as LinkedIn looks to jam AI into every element, including posting prompts, automated profile summaries and application letter assistance, it feels like the platform could be going a little too far on the automation, and potentially removing too much humanity from aspects that should maintain human insight.

But with so many candidates for some roles, there is also value here. Even if it will make candidates feel more like a data source than a person.