12-02-2025
A University of Washington (UW) study reveals that humans using AI in the candidate selection process may unwittingly adopt its biases. The UW researchers evaluated participants using a combination of AI and human recruiters to make hiring decisions. The study showed that participants followed the AI’s suggestions nearly 90% of the time.
In the study, 528 participants worked with simulated large language models (LLMs) to select candidates for 16 different positions. The jobs ranged from computer systems analyst to nurse practitioner to housekeeper. The researchers replicated different levels of racial biases from equally qualified White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian male candidates. Participants who did not use AI selected white and non-white applicants at similar rates. When working with a moderately biased AI, if the AI preferred non-white candidates, the participants favored the same candidates. In instances of severe bias, people made decisions that were only slightly less biased than the AI recommendations. The lead author said, “Our findings were stark: Unless bias is obvious, people were perfectly willing to accept the AI’s biases” in their hiring decisions.
The researchers pointed out that bias decreased 13% when participants started with an implicit association test, designed to measure implicit associations involving race, age, gender, political preferences, and much more. Employers using those tests may be able to mitigate the influence of AI bias. Other surveys conducted with employers found that 65% of recruiters were using AI for their work, however, regulations from state and local municipalities may begin to impact how employers use this technology. Starting in 2027, California will require some employers to notify applicants about their use of AI hiring tools and respond to inquiries about their automated hiring tools.
It is recommended that employers perform a deep dive into the impact of AI on their hiring practices for alignment with recruitment goals. Employers should also monitor legislation to ensure compliance with use of AI tools in hiring.