Conversations with an AI
Chapter 5
Artificial intelligence (AI) was made available to the public free of charge in 2023. We now find ourselves within the Transformation substage of the Information Technology Age, and the mechanical and industrial stages are now a distant memory. Over the coming months, AI will continue to grow and evolve based on our interactions with it (what we teach it). Our continued responsibility will be to do so ethically, just as a good parent would guide a child to contribute positively to the world. It is with optimism and excitement that I share “Conversations with an AI”, a series based on actual conversations I had with artificial intelligence, and which was inspired by my newly published whitepaper, “Improving DEI in Systematic Hiring” In collaboration with Nin Tran, Chief Executive Officer of SnapBrillia.
The process of evaluating and choosing candidates should comprise a number of objective criteria:
- Standardised assessments are suggested to evaluate candidates’ technical or functional skills. Such tests can be used to compare candidates objectively and should therefore be graded according to objective criteria.
- Ask potential hires to submit work samples or projects that highlight their qualifications. These should be graded using objective standards, such as the quality of the work or how well it achieves the stated goals.
- Utilise educational credentials, such as degrees or certifications, as an impartial standard for assessing individuals. However, it’s essential to ensure that any academic criteria are absolutely required for the position and aren’t used to exclude applicants from various cultural backgrounds.
- To assess a candidate’s experience, use objective criteria such as the number of years of experience, particular work responsibilities, or job titles. The requirements of the position should serve as the foundation for this criterion.
- Verify candidates’ employment history and evaluate their performance in prior positions by contacting references. Reference checks should be based on objective criteria, such as a candidate’s capacity to meet deadlines, cooperate with others, or manage stress.
- Use psychometric tests as a neutral measure to evaluate if a candidate would fit in with the team or corporate culture. These evaluations must be based on objective criteria and not exclude candidates based on personality attributes unrelated to the position.
- Employ a structured interviewing process where the same set of questions is asked of each candidate. The questions must be focused on the demands of the role and should be graded using impartial criteria like the calibre of the applicant’s answers.
It is crucial to ensure that all evaluation criteria are based on the needs of the position and unaffected by personal biases. Non-discriminatory measures in the form of structured interviews can make the selection and evaluation process more impartial and fairer.
Examples of structured interviews
A structured interview is conducted by an interviewer who asks a predetermined list of job-related questions. This type of interview is thoroughly structured and standardised, with each candidate being given exactly identical set of questions. Structured interviews are often referred to as formal, scheduled, structured, and standard interviews.
- Behavioural Questions: Ask candidates to describe a specific situation they have faced and how they handled it. For example, “Can you tell us about a time when you had to overcome a difficult challenge in a previous role?”
- Situational Questions: Ask candidates how they would handle a hypothetical situation they may face in the role. For example, “If you were faced with a tight deadline, what steps would you take to ensure the project is completed on time?”
- Skills-Based Questions: Ask candidates to demonstrate their skills and abilities through specific questions related to the job requirements. For example, “Can you describe your experience with X software or tool?”
- Values-Based Questions: Ask candidates about their values and how they align with the company’s values. For example, “How do your values align with our company’s mission and values?”
- Future-Oriented Questions: Ask candidates about their plans and goals and how they relate to the role and the company. For example, “Where do you see yourself in five years, and how does this role fit into your career plans?”
The key to a structured interview is to ask each candidate the same set of questions in the same order and judge their answers based on predetermined criteria that are numbered but not named (no name, no gender). The predetermined questions help ensure that each candidate is evaluated fairly and objectively without being influenced by personal biases, appearance, background, or other non-job-related factors.
As I finalise the chapters of this series, it has become clear to me that the individual Artificial Intelligence will be as its teacher makes it. As a team, a human and an AI can accomplish much more in whichever subject they specialise in. This will catapult humanity towards singularity at an exponential rate. And, if you teach your AI to act empathically, without bias, to assist and to help humans, then you will be a humanly entuned AI assistant. We, the human creators of AI assistants, are responsible for the assistants we create and teach. Let us not take this responsibility lightly.
