People interviewed by AI for jobs face discrimination risks, Australian study warns
A new study from the University of Melbourne warns that job applicants undergoing AI-based interviews may face discrimination due to speech patterns, accents, or disabilities. Dr. Natalie Sheard, who conducted the research, found that most AI recruitment tools are trained on datasets that do not reflect Australia’s demographic diversity—only 6% of one firm’s training data came from Australia or New Zealand.
Sheard interviewed 18 HR professionals, 13 of whom reported using AI recruitment systems, mostly for résumé screening and video interviews. Transcription accuracy dropped significantly for non-native English speakers—particularly those with Chinese accents—raising concerns that candidates may be unfairly scored due to misinterpreted responses.
Some HR personnel sought confirmation from vendors about the fairness of these tools for accented or disabled individuals but were given verbal assurances without supporting evidence. Sheard stressed the lack of transparency in AI hiring systems: recruiters often can’t explain why a candidate was rejected, leaving applicants with no feedback or recourse.
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