AI Can’t Tell If You’re Funny: AI in HR and People & Culture
By Georgina Favaloro
Workplaces have had a relationship to machines, both analogue and digital, for a very, very, very long time.
Now, Artificial Intelligence is no exception.
It is undeniable that AI is a productivity booster when used in the correct way. With applications in what seems like every corner of the workplace, AI has leaped into HR to start streamlining practices with increased efficiency, accuracy, and objectivity. For productivity, that’s awesome… but where is AI’s place in recruitment and People & Culture if it can’t tell if you’ll have a chat at lunchtime, make a tea for the team or crack a joke at the water cooler?
The low down: AI technology in HR and People & Culture
To better understand the introduction of AI tech in the people & culture space, I sat down with Eve Brennan, People & Culture Director, to chat all things AI in HR and People & Culture…
GF: Do you utilise any kind of AI software in your day-to-day practices as People and Culture Director?
EB: Yes, I do in some portions of my process. I sometimes use generative AI and Chat GPT as a way of generating some copy for those big recruitment pushes where we need lots of job descriptions and advertisements out in the ether. I also find AI enhanced LinkedIn Recruiter useful to expand the pool of suitable candidates to reach out to. AI helps in the initial stages when there are massive amounts of information to sort through and candidates to connect with.
GF: It could seem counterproductive to use computers and algorithms in the human hiring process- what do you think about AI in recruitment?
EB: There are benefits in some ways and then in other ways you have to use your own judgement, instinct and expertise to decide whether someone is the right fit for the business. At Interchange, I want to know that somebody is qualified, of course. But I also look for what their personality is like to see if they are a culture fit.
From a process standpoint, I believe AI can streamline and filter the initial influx of candidates based on their application, profile, and cv. After that, I prefer to meet people on a human level. I personally wouldn’t find it useful to have AI analysing body language in an interview or video application. Let’s take nervousness for example, what AI might take as unpreparedness or shyness, I might take as an endearing quality of someone really wanting the job. There are so many nuances to humans that machine learning has to catch up on. I don’t know how AI can fully support me to find that spark with the right candidate just yet.
GF: Another important aspect of the recruitment process is bias reduction and DE&I, which has become a key point in the discussion around recruitment and AI. On one hand AI programs can reduce unconscious bias as an ‘objective’ tool. However, we must remember that humans create and train these tool in societies where bias exists. What do you think about AI programs reducing bias in the recruitment process?
EB: I think AI can reduce bias in the initial parts of the recruitment process. For example, when looking through CVs, objective AI recruitment tools can pinpoint the applicants with the skills that fit the role- regardless of cultural indicators or unconscious bias. From my perspective though, as People and Culture Director at Interchange, I train to consistently address my own biases. As humans we gravitate towards specific types of people, but as someone in a people acquisition role, I must always take a step back and assess every interaction with an open mind. When you know the business well, there are qualities that you look for and one of those is the connection you get with the right fit- whatever that looks like.
GF: What about in situations where recruiters do have biases that they are not actively addressing?
EB: I think there needs to be more training in place around AI recruitment and bias reduction tools. It is worthwhile to develop at least a base-level knowledge of AI when this is the future of work. I think there is merit in using AI to diversify your options.
GF: To delve into a different People & Culture area, do you think AI is necessary in streamlining the performance review process?
EB: I can feel a theme happening here… I think AI is useful in some ways… I also think that there are use cases for AI that could cause stress, anxiety and go as far as becoming a psychosocial hazard. It’s a fact that people analytics and KPI tracking happens. Would AI help to streamline that process?
Yes, of course.
Do we do that at Interchange?
No. I think strict tracking -AI or not- blurs the lines of trust and is misaligned with our culture at Interchange. While we track our goals and KPI’s for growth, we also operate on trust and initiative to get work done well. I would prefer to give the choice to our team members to utilise AI for their own KPI and goal tracking.
GF: Are there any areas in the performance review process that you could foresee yourself integrating AI?
EB: Just in the past week, we have successfully introduced an AI note-taking software into some of our virtual meetings. I’d love to see this working in a behavioural or performance review setting. With this type of technology, I could be even more present and adaptive to what someone might need in the moment, without needing to write notes.
If I could have every discussion transcribed that would be amazing! On the other hand, though, if it were me having every single word recorded and analysed in what should be a private and safe conversation- like a performance review- I would find it hard to be fully comfortable from a privacy standpoint. What happens with your data?
It is interesting to watch everything move so quickly.
GB: Final question, do you think there is a sweet spot for using AI in the recruitment process?
EB: I think there’s for sure a sweet spot. It’s useful in streamlining process. Like Dr Sean Gallagher says in our AI Culture Commute Podcast Episode, ‘AI is a tool to augment your ability.’ It’s useful to document, find candidates, schedule interviews and plan. But I don’t think it can do the human aspect that is required in a people and culture environment. AI is a tool for generation, interpretation, and prediction at the moment. In people & culture you have to be able to feel. AI can’t tell if you are funny. It can’t tell if you’re kind or headstrong or good under pressure. Which means it can’t tell if you’re a good culture fit. Not yet, anyway.
I don’t think anything can take away from the human to human connections you get to have in this role. I do think AI can give you more time to focus on the work it can’t do though. These tools give me more time to spend having those conversations that really matter.
While we’re on the topic of recruitment… we always post open positions on our linkedin.
Term breakdown:
Interesting Reads/Listens:
DIVERSITY COUNCIL AUSTRALIA REPORTS ON AI & DEI
BBVA- ALGORITHMIC FAIRNESS & BIAS IN AI
AI CULTURE COMMUTE WITH SEAN GALLAGHER