Amazon is Trying to Stop People Using AI to Cheat in Job Interviews
One of the world's largest employers, Amazon, has issued internal guidelines aimed at curbing the growing trend of using artificial intelligence (AI) tools during job interviews. The company believes that such tools give candidates an unfair advantage and prevent it from evaluating their authentic skills and experiences.
The guidelines, obtained by Business Insider, explicitly state that job applicants can be disqualified from the hiring process if they are found to have used an AI tool during a job interview. "To ensure a fair and transparent recruitment process, please do not use GenAl tools during your interview unless explicitly permitted," the guidelines say. "Failure to adhere to these guidelines may result in disqualification from the recruitment process."
Amazon's move highlights one of the many ethical challenges posed by the rise of generative artificial intelligence. The company has already restricted employee use of AI tools such as ChatGPT, while encouraging them to employ internal AI apps to boost productivity.
The Growing Trend of "Hacking" Job Interviews with AI
A recent internal Slack conversation seen by Business Insider revealed that some Amazon employees debated the need to ban AI tools during job interviews when they can improve the quality of work. The trend has become a big enough problem that even Silicon Valley companies are taking notice.
One study found it was easy to cheat in job interviews using AI tools like ChatGPT, prompting debate across the tech industry. A recent experiment caught a job candidate cheating with Anthropic's Claude AI service, while another incident involved a candidate trying to use a coding assistant during an interview.
Avoiding Detection: Tips for Identifying AI-Generated Responses
Amazon has shared internal tips on how to spot applicants using gen AI tools during interviews. The indicators include:
- Candidates are permitted to talk about how they have used generative AI applications to "achieve efficiencies" in their current or previous roles, but they're strictly prohibited from using them during job interviews.
- A recent video produced by an AI company that claims to have received a job offer from Amazon after using its coding assistant during an interview raised alarms internally.
Not everyone is opposed to the use of AI tools in job interviews. Some Silicon Valley companies are open to allowing these apps in job interviews because they already use them at work, while others are making the technical interview an open-book test but adding questions for a deeper assessment.
A Divided Response: Amazon Employees Weigh In
Some Amazon employees appear less concerned about the issue, with one person writing that their team was "studying" the possibility of providing a generative AI assistant to candidates and changing their hiring approach. Another person questioned whether Amazon could benefit from using these tools.
"Using generative AI may be 'dishonest or unprofessional,'" this person said, but on the other hand, it's "raising the bar" for Amazon by improving the quality of the interview. "If judged solely by the outcome, it could be considered bar-raising," they wrote.
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