This
article is from BBC news and it is titled, “Meet Tengai, the job interview
robot who won’t judge you.” By Maddy Savage. In the article, a recent robot has
been created that’s called Tengai. Tengai is the world’s first ever robot
designed to carry out unbiased job interviews. Does this robot really have what
it takes to perform the job better than human? This robot that was created is
16 inches tall and weighs about 7.7 pounds. She is pretty much at eye level
because the robot is placed on top of a table. In the article it says, “it
feels much less scary or strange compared to a more traditional robot.” I think
everything about this project is strange. It seems like creators are doing anything
possible to allow robots to take over more and more jobs, but it seems to not
be working. This creation would probably work to help out with interviews, but
I do not think that is the solution to find the best person for the job. When
someone is in a job interview, I think the main reason they’re face to face
with the interviewer is because they want to see if it’s the right person for
the job. I do not think a robot will be able to detect the emotions. I do not
understand why this robot was created. Robots should be created to be able to
perform more complex jobs that humans are not able to keep up with. Interviews
should not lead by a robot because humans are the ones that are programing the
robot. It does not make sense why humans cannot interview someone. A great
example on why robots are not the best choice for this situation is in the article
it says, “For an example, if I ask you a question at the beginning of the
process like: Do you play golf? And you say: Yes, I do, I love playing golf,
and I do too, then in some way I will put that in a positive box.” Tengai does
not have the capabilities to hold a pre-interview conversation to be able to
know the person more before even asking the standard questions. I believe if an
owner of a company really wants to have the best employees, he or she should
have interviews without robots so they’re able to detect who is the best choice
for the job. Tengai has been originally tested by Swedish recruiters and it
seems like they are trying to develop an English-language version of the robot
that is supposed to be ready by 2020. At the end of the article it seems like
the Swedish creators are concerned with their project. In the article it says, “I
find it very difficult to believe that recruiting managers will rely on a
robot.” The Tengai robot may work, but we have to also look at the negatives in
this interviewing process.
Source:
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-47442953
2 comments:
Being interviewed for a job by a 16 inch robot does seem a little strange, and most likely inefficient. As you mentioned, I find it hard to believe a robot can pick out the best people for the job as it may struggle to detect emotions or have actual conversations with the job seeker. I believe an important part of job interviews is seeing whether or not the person is capable of holding conversations and has people skills, a much needed quality in a majority of jobs. Another thing robots struggle with is adjusting to new information they are presented with that they are unfamiliar with as they have not been programmed for it. This would make it difficult for Tengai to efficiently interview each person as it may lack understanding of everything the interviewee is telling them. For the most part, it seems the robot would cause more issues with the job recruiting process than benefits. The only possible benefit I can imagine is using the robot to help ease anxiety of those being interviewed so they can focus on answering all the questions and displaying all their qualities. Without the pressure of being interviewed by a human who could be judgmental, interviewees can relax more and give a great job interview. If companies were to use the robot for this purpose, they could perhaps install a recording device into the robot so they can later listen to how the interview went and see if the robot gave an efficient interview and determine whether to hire a person. Overall though, I think it is much easier and efficient to continue having humans give job interviews. With all the possible issues using a robot could present, it would be a waste of funds purchasing one to give inefficient interviews.
I agree with your blog post. The necessity of having human interaction during an interview has its roots within tradition and simply is more respectable. Recently, I had lunch with PwC employees and incoming interns. During this lunch, some of the interns spoke about how KPMG began doing interviews very oddly. What was different? They said that KPMG implemented some sort of automated virtual interview process where the interviewer types in questions for the interviewee to answer and it would display on their screen. The interviewee was then timed and has to record themselves answering the question within the time frame. Whatever was recorded is sent to the interviewer. The people who went through this process described it as impersonal and "robotic".
From their descriptions of this automated virtual interview KPMG has implemented, I believe that the same thing will result from this robot. Perhaps these robots can be used for part-time job interviews; but not for high-standing career positions within firms such as KPMG. Supported by what is stated in your blog, I believe that this will remove the ability for interviewees to gain some insight to what employees are like at the job they are applying for. I believe that changing the interview process to an automated one takes out the importance of it and would make the interviewee seem unimportant; as if they were just part of the general "process"--if that makes any sense.
This type of implementation would also remove any possible benefits for people to build personal connections with the employer or interviewee, which is very important. Companies should invest in well trained and knowledgable recruitment managers and recruiters so that they can attract and distinguish the best employees. A face to face interaction between one person and another involves emotion and the extent of your emotions can convey your ambition, passion, and desire to achieve a goal, work for a company, or attain the job position. Employers want dedicated and committed employees; and robots simply can't detect that emotion.
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