Business Correspondent, BBC Wales News
A rising use of synthetic intelligence (AI) in job functions dangers employers hiring candidates who can not do the work, a enterprise proprietor has stated.
Advertising boss James Robinson stated he and different enterprise leaders have been seeing a “real trend” in candidates utilizing generative AI chatbots, and warned that candidates who have been good at utilizing the expertise might “engineer” the method with out being “capable of doing the job”.
Careers adviser Megan Cooper stated that whereas AI might be a great tool for job hunters, it ought to by no means exchange “human judgement”.
A latest survey of greater than 2,000 job candidates within the UK discovered just below half had used AI to assist them with the appliance course of.
Mr Robinson, who runs Hello Starling, a Cardiff-based promoting company, stated vacancies at his enterprise have been attracting functions that have been riddled with AI-generated sentences.
“There are some common sentences that we see. People are always trying to ‘leverage their skillset’,” he stated.
“They’re often saying things like ‘my skills align with your organisation’s objectives and goals’.”
He stated the chatbot ChatGPT confirmed that these have been phrases it was more likely to generate for a overlaying letter.
“[It is] very difficult for me to try and work out who is real, versus which ones are robots,” he admitted.
Mr Robinson shared his experiences of receiving AI-generated job functions on LinkedIn and stated the responses from different enterprise leaders “really surprised” him.
“I was really, really surprised to receive messages from people saying, ‘I’m in exactly the same boat as you. How are we going to tell them apart?’
“You know, ‘will we must be utilizing AI to combat in opposition to this and get on high of it?’
“So I think it is a real challenge in itself, but I don’t think that I’m alone.”
Mr Robinson stated nonetheless that “appropriate” use of AI might assist his enterprise, and that the expertise was serving to candidates to be extra succinct of their functions.
What is AI?
AI permits computer systems to study and remedy issues in methods that may appear human.
Computers can not assume, empathise or purpose, however scientists have developed methods that may carry out duties which often require human intelligence, attempting to duplicate how individuals purchase and use information.
Generative AI is used to create new content material which may really feel prefer it has been made by a human. It does this by studying from huge portions of current information comparable to on-line textual content and pictures.
At Cardiff Metropolitan University, careers advisor Megan Cooper stated she was attempting to steer college students via the ethics of utilizing AI as they utilized for jobs.
“AI can be used as a tool. It can be used as an aid. It’s something that can complement, but absolutely not replace, human judgement,” stated Ms Cooper.
Ms Cooper stated that in lots of circumstances, college students have been responding to an expectation from employers that candidates understood Generative AI and will use it with confidence.
“They don’t want to be seen as cheating or getting it wrong in any way at all.”
She stated the college was encouraging college students to grasp when it was acceptable to make use of AI.
“Maybe that’s in the research stages of the application process. It might be asking AI to give feedback or help structure their CV.
“Maybe it is asking AI to assist learn a canopy letter that they’ve already written to assist refine it and assist it sound just a little bit extra eloquent.”
Ultimately the job interview process required applicants to ensure “what makes them distinctive is ready to shine via”, she added.
‘It’s too much of a risk’
Student Jasmine James, 18, said she was avoiding using AI for her university work.
“I really feel prefer it’s an excessive amount of of a threat, with plagiarism and stuff like that,” she said.
“But I can perceive why individuals do use it, as a result of it’s a faster and simpler different.
“I just feel like the information isn’t always correct, so it’s best to avoid it for uni work.”
Fellow pupil Jacob Morgan, 19, stated he believed AI might be a “really helpful tool”.
“I use it a lot, especially instead of Google. Sometimes I’ll just search up on AI instead, because you get better results. So it’s definitely very useful,” he stated.
AI expertise was “here to stay” and “it’s only going to get better and better”, he added.
Timothy Mitchell, who’s in his second 12 months of learning laptop safety at Cardiff Metropolitan University, stated he believed those that didn’t use synthetic intelligence have been “cheating themselves”.
“Everybody uses it. Tutors use it, employers use it,” he stated.
Mr Mitchell accepted there have been “definitely some fears” across the wider use of AI, “but I personally believe they are somewhat unfounded”.
He added: “What humans are best at is the creative stuff and creating new things. And AI, by principle, can’t think beyond what it’s been taught.”
Generative AI might be used “in a way that aids us rather than replaces us”, he added.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx29z8lyx71o