“Job-seeking has never been the complete and utter silence I’m facing now,” writes Marissa Castrigno. Clearly, the sentiment – that AI and automation are turning job-hunting into even more of a hellscape – resonates: the LinkedIn post has racked up hundreds of likes and countless comments. Elsewhere, Google searches for “Will AI take my job” are up 212%, and there are 58.9 million posts under the TikTok search “People saying AI is gonna take my job.”
Castrigno’s argument is that we are in an automated employment loop in which AI is being used on both sides of the hiring process, resulting in a closed feedback cycle with scarily little human input that leaves us on the sidelines of a fully automated hiring charade. The theory tracks: in the UK, 61% of employers now use AI as part of their hiring process. What’s more, only 22% of AI and data professionals are women, raising concerns among hiring experts that women may be left behind in the AI boom. As Dr Ryne Sherman, chief science officer at employment performance tester Hogan Assessments puts it: “AI is rewriting the rules of work – but who’s holding the pen?”
