According to a new survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults age 18+ conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Yoh, a leading international talent and outsourcing company and part of Day & Zimmermann, 88 percent of Americans say they would feel uncomfortable with an artificial intelligence (AI) job interview app being used during the candidate screening process.

Among Americans who say they would feel uncomfortable with an AI job interview app being used to screen candidates, reasons why include:

• 55 percent say they would prefer an in-person interview
• 48 percent say they don’t trust AI to accurately interpret human cues/emotions
• 44 percent say their biometrics could be misinterpreted (e.g., if they’re nervous it may be interpreted as dishonest)
• 38 percent say they wouldn’t be able to gauge the reactions of the interviewer
• 31 percent percentsay they don’t feel like they could be themselves
• 29 percent say they would be too self-conscious to give a good interview
• 25 percent say there would be potential for discrimination (e.g., potential employers could figure out my age, gender, race/ethnicity)
• 20 percent say they are afraid the technology will steal their image/likeness

“While we’ve found that more and more of today’s workers are comfortable with technology’s presence in the workplace, it seems that a significant majority still want a personal touch that comes with a person-to-person job interview,” said Emmett McGrath, President of Yoh. “While using AI and other technologies as part of the candidate screening process can be useful, at this point it should be used only to augment the skill and insights that an experienced recruiter and/or interviewer brings to the hiring process. It takes the best recruiters to hire the best people for today’s jobs.”

Additional findings include:

• Younger generation just as uncomfortable as older generation with AI app being used to screen candidates. Despite a perceived comfort with most technology as compared to older generations, 89 percent of Americans age 18-34 say they would feel uncomfortable with an AI job interview app being used during the candidate screening process. Among those age 35 and older, the figure is nearly identical at 88 percent.
   
• Significantly more Americans age 65+ who would feel uncomfortable with an artificial intelligence (AI) job interview app being used during the candidate screening process say it is because they prefer an in-person interview. Of those age 65+ who say they would feel uncomfortable with an artificial intelligence job interview app being used during the candidate screening process, 64 percent say they would feel uncomfortable because they prefer an in-person interview. This is compared to 49 percent of those age 18-44.

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