Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER JUNE 2018 24 FEATURES HR TECHNOLOGY Adopting AI to combat unconscious bias Technology can gather data to generate holistic scores for applicants By Jahanzaib Ansari H iring a diverse workforce isn't just about morals and ethics — it actually makes good business sense. Businesses run by diverse teams are 35 per cent more likely to in- troduce innovative products to the market, according to a 2013 study conducted by the London School of Economics looking at 7,615 organizations. is is why tech giants — such as Google in 2015, when it announced it was planning to spend US$150 mil- lion — are investing in programs to foster and build on diversity. Regardless of such efforts, there is still a lack of racial and gender diversity at many companies. Unconscious bias So, why are diversity numbers still far from the target? Company initiatives are limited by unconscious bias prevalent in recruitment, a factor that can be significantly reduced using artifi- cial intelligence (AI). Unconscious bias often creates a homogenous workforce that doesn't come with fresh perspec- tives critical of the status quo. In a world where change is the new norm, taking advantage of a diverse workforce can facilitate innovation — an integral compo- nent to a business's longevity. While diversity and inclusion mindfulness initiatives are impor- tant, AI has made inroads with tal- ent acquisition technology built to be completely blind to race, gender and accent so no candidate is as- sessed unjustly due to any con- scious or unconscious bias. Newer technology While still in the early stages, artificially intelligent video as- sessment technology can help onboard more diverse employ- ees and accurately identify qual- ity applicants, which reduces the cost of bad hires. AI's rigorous as- sessment eliminates unqualified candidates in the initial screen- ing, allowing more time for quali- fied candidates. Essentially, once an applicant does an AI video assessment, the technology gathers the data to generate a holistic score for the person by analyzing her facial ex- pressions and tone, and converting her speech into text. is allows the AI to obtain a holistic score of the applicant, and can be more ac- curate than human judgment. Instead of neglecting candidates because of irrelevant data, the AI can look at all of the incoming ap- plications and rate them against the ideal candidate profile that has the highest correlation of success predictors to a given job role. is allows recruiters to hire talent that has been objectively assessed, and ensures no one is left out. Reduce cost to fill AI has also been efficient in re- ducing the cost to fill a job. As average job postings receive hun- dreds of resumés, HR personnel have to deal with many unquali- fied candidates. With AI candidate assessment technology, HR processes can be- come more streamlined and elimi- nate tasks that normally drive up expenses and slow down recruit- ment. AI allows talent acquisition to better focus on important tasks, instead of handling redundant, mundane work that consumes a lot of time and resources. is is because in addition to interviewing a high volume of ap- plicants, AI technology can pres- ent a shortlist of people who are qualified for a vacant position, based on accurate, objective data. Finding hidden gems Diversity initiatives can be costly, and every company wants to find those hidden gems. AI-infused talent acquisition enables companies to improve innovation alongside the bottom line without expending resourc- es on costly, time-consuming efforts. With AI, candidate screening can be done more accurately and efficiently, while at the same time diminishing unconscious bias. This leaves talent acquisi- tion with a far more diverse and qualified candidate pool that's just waiting to be hired. Jahanzaib Ansari is co-founder and CEO of Knockri in Toronto. He can be reached at j.ansari@knockri. com or for more information, visit www.knockri.com. Start your free trial subscription * THE CANADIAN PAYROLL MANUAL ONLINE (CLASSIC)/ LE MANUEL DE PAIE CANADIEN EN LIGNE (CLASSIQUE) OR THE CANADIAN PAYROLL MANUAL ONLINE (ELITE) See how our newly enhanced Canadian payroll references meet all your payroll needs New in 2018 New enhancements to the Thomson Reuters online payroll products FREE ACCESS FOR 30 DAYS * © 2017 Thomson Reuters Canada Limited 00246WX-88906-NK Call 1-800-387-5164 and ask to start today. 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