For the past several years, companies everywhere have done their best to make their workplaces more diverse, equitable, and inclusive (DEI). Business leaders recognize that fostering innovative DEI programs is more than a moral imperative: it can lead to increased innovation, boosted employee morale, and a superior company culture.
But as many leaders will tell you, instilling these values into a company’s culture is a complex and ongoing challenge. Can AI lend a hand? I think so: for starters, AI can help team leaders and talent-acquisition specialists identify and mitigate the unconscious biases hindering progress. AI-powered training could be tailored to employees’ strengths and weaknesses, allowing companies to more quickly address issues such as microaggressions.
As AI improves over the next few years, we can expect to see even more DEI-related benefits emerging. Let’s break down what’s in store.
Recruitment
One area where AI can have a significant impact is in recruitment. Despite the best efforts of human recruiters and hiring managers, the hiring process can sometimes become biased, with factors such as a candidate’s name or background influencing whether they proceed to the next evaluation round.
AI-powered tools can scan resumes, cover letters, and other application materials in ways that hopefully eliminate these biases, ensuring a more diverse pool of talent is considered for open positions. In addition, AI can analyze recruitment data and alert an organization to potential discrimination in hiring processes. By examining patterns in hiring decisions, leaders can uncover discriminatory trends and fix things early.
For example, if an AI system identifies that a particular demographic is consistently underrepresented in hiring, it can flag this issue to HR and suggest strategies for improving diversity. Companies such as Diversio are already working hard in this space for huge enterprises such as Honda, deploying data-centric AI tools designed to bring more transparency and equity to the hiring process. At Dice, we’ve even instituted an anti-bias mode in IntelliSearch that will anonymize information commonly associated with unconscious bias, including names and educational institutions attended.
However, it’s also important to acknowledge that AI can’t seamlessly fix every DEI-related issue facing an organization. Organizations must also be mindful of the potential for AI to perpetuate biases if not properly trained and monitored. A few years ago, a tech giant infamously built an experimental AI tool to rank job candidates, only to find the tool had accidentally trained itself to prefer male candidates—and while the experiment was quickly decommissioned, it stands as a stark warning for why companies need to carefully test and think through any kind of AI solution that could impact hiring and retention.
In light of that, any company planning to use AI for recruiting and hiring (especially if they’re building their own, highly customized solution) needs to ensure that the training data is diverse and representative of as many demographics and experiences as possible, which can potentially mitigate potential bias. As part of that workflow, I think strategic leaders may opt to have the AI’s output reviewed by subject-matter experts in DEI, at least initially, to ensure everything is working as specified.
Training
More companies adopting DEI strategies has increased the need for employee training to address everything from how to weed out microaggressions to how to foster a more welcoming culture. But when it comes to training, I like to say that one size does not fit all: while some employees may only need a refresher in some DEI principles, others are starting from scratch when it comes to these crucial concepts.
While the underlying technology is still relatively nascent, AI training modules could be tailored to suit each employee’s learning journey. Imagine an AI system that can evaluate an individual’s blind spots when it comes to bias and serve up interactive lessons to address that. AI could customize real-world scenarios and conversations, then present the user with real-time feedback on their communication.
Best of all, employees may feel more comfortable interacting with autonomous software than with a human being who (they think) may pass judgment on them, boosting the impact of the training. I’m particularly excited about how AI can increase access to training for those employees who may be differently abled; you’ll see better outcomes when lessons and modules dynamically adjust to take neurodivergence and/or sensory issues into account.
Using AI to Make Hiring More Equitable... and Human
A few years ago, a study by the HR Research Institute found that only 18 percent of companies considered their DEI practices “advanced.” As organizations’ budgets tighten and leaders fight to prioritize DEI among other must-do initiatives, AI can help HR and other departments maintain their DEI momentum; I feel we’ve come too far to regress in any way on diversity, equity and inclusion.
On Dice’s “Tech Connects” podcast, we’ve devoted quite a bit of discussion to how recruiters and talent acquisition specialists need to continue leaning into the “human side” of hiring, even as HR embraces AI-powered sourcing and talent-management tools. In other words, an organization’s talent-sourcing team must leverage their emotional intelligence to ensure they’re finding the right candidates, and those candidates feel welcomed once they’re brought onboard.
It’s a similar situation when it comes to improving an organization’s approach to DEI, which first and foremost demands that every employee is recognized and heard. AI tools can help reduce bias and quickly train employees in the nuances of diversity, but they can’t effortlessly solve an organization’s DEI issues; rather, leaders should see AI as a powerful assistant in this arena, freeing up bandwidth so that humans can approach the most critical DEI-related issues with care and empathy.