This Week, In Recruiting - Issue 107

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Sponsored by our friends at?Greenhouse

Talent acquisition teams often feel pressure to move as fast as possible, but it’s important to not prioritize speed over thoughtful decision-making.?

In the recent webinar, Overcoming TA challenges in 2023, Greenhouse joined BrightHire, Checkr and Salesloft to share people leader insights into maintaining talent team efficiency while navigating friction points in the hiring process. You’ll also learn ways to improve collaboration with cross-functional stakeholders and best practices for leveraging automation.

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Open Kitchen:?Summarising the Arguments For and Against Slowing Down AI (Pt1)

It's out of control isn't it?

I don't know about you but I gave up trying to keep on top of AI developments a couple a weeks ago when I realised that the AI innovation rate has completely outpaced my information collection and retention rate. AI is everywhere, it is too fast to track and it seems to be getting faster as AI itself spurs further and faster innovation.

It's an exhilarating time. But are we moving too fast for our own good?

A poll I am running on Recruiting Brainfood (subscribe here if you haven't already btw) suggests that we recruiters are in the camp of slowing it down, flitting somewhere close to the Pause Giant AI Experiments: An Open Letter which includes signatories such as Elon Musk, Andrew Yang, Steve Wozniak and many others. It's a question all of us have to try and answer but before we do I thought it would be useful exercise for my own thinking to outline some of the arguments for and against slowing down the innovation rate of AI.

Please note, I am 'steelmanning' these arguments in order to better illustrate the position. Lets look at 5 of the main arguments for slowing down AI innovation in this week's Open Kitchen.

1. Catastrophic Labour Market Impact

Even the most pro-AI commentators recognise that widespread job displacement would be the inevitable outcome of the adoption of Generative AI. Two important studies have been published in recent weeks GPTs are GPTs: An Early Look at the Labor Market Impact (Open AI & University of Pennsylvania) and The Potentially Large Effects of Artificial Intelligence on Economic Growth (Goldman Sachs) which outline the scale of the challenge - 70% of tasks in knowledge work is 'highly exposed' to GAI, leading to a potential loss of 300 Million jobs currently being performed by said knowledge workers.

Clearly, failure to manage the speed of transition would mean a sudden collapse of the highly exposed labour market, with consequential loss of tax revenue and economic growth, not to mention potentially catastrophic societal disruption. We need to slow AI down because too many people will lose their jobs too quickly for our current systems to cope.

2. Risk of Harmful AI Applications

One of the promises of GAI is that it could be trained on your own personal data in order to create a 'personal copilot' which could take on a great deal of the tedious administrative tasks which consume so much of our time. This 'digital twin' could act and perform tasks just like you, unlocking huge productivity gains as you make zillions of them to do hundreds of tasks 24/7. But what if RoboHung gets hacked? An exact digital simulacra would be indistinguishable for those people who know you principally via digital media. It doesn't take much imagination as to what could be done when we can no longer tell fake from real.

Now faking Hung Lee is going to be no big deal at the end of the day, but what if you faked people of real world changing influence? Have a watch of this deepfake video of US President Joe Biden announcing the commencement of nuclear war. More than slightly concerning I would say. And yet currently there is nothing to stop anyone with the means to produce more fake media of this type. We should slow down AI because bad people are going to use AI to cause harm.

3. Permanent Entrenchment of Global Inequality

We know that the world has become increasingly unequal, especially since the 1970's when the Nixon came off the Gold Standard to facilitate the massive expansion of the money supply, the majority of which was of course naturally captured by the 1% in the Global North. The right thing to do is to create a system where more people have a better chance to succeed, rather than maintaining the current system which gives compounding advantage to those who secured the high ground first.

And yet AI would appear to entrench privilege, giving those who can afford to access it superhuman powers of creativity and productivity which would further exacerbate the inequality we see the world. Consider the business models; it is telling that Open AI - the company behind ChatGPT - never seemed to consider 'free but ad supported' revenue model. Instead it went straight to subscriptions, at $20 USD per month. A lot of people are going to pay but that figure is a significant cost for many others, especially in poorer regions and countries in the world. What happens when the rich become 100x more productive, more creative than the poor? We might be looking at a permanent entrenchment of division and an 'Eloi vs Morlocks' future for humanity. We should slow down AI until we can figure out a way to make it equitable for all humans, not just those who can afford it.

4. Regulatory Non-compliance

The news that Italy has banned ChatGPT for GDPR violations was generally met with humour, a comedic illustration of over officiousness from an overly bureaucratised EU, but it may well become an exemplar of a challenge brought by Generative AI that we are only beginning to understand - who owns the training data, can it be legally used this way, what happens when a product becomes commercialised on data it neither owns, nor asked the consent to use?

Perhaps the greatest risk to AI right now is litigation, because on the surface of it, it is plainly in breach. These cases open the door to an re-examination of concepts which we have generally held to be settled; what is IP, what is privacy, can they updated to be made compatible for an AI enabled future or do we trap technological progress in a thicket of litigation? We should slow down AI, not because AI is bad, but because we need to get the regulatory framework in place first.

5. We Don't Know What We're Doing

With AI, at some point, this will become evidently true. Right now, most AI's output through a conversation with a human being, responding with answers to 'prompts' made by a human user. This back and forth rallying gives us a sense of comfort because - as the asker - we are in control. However, we have already seen experiments where humans have instructed AI's to 'keep going' and continue to work, learn and explore without waiting for another command from another human. We do this because we are forever chasing ever more efficiency and what could be more efficient that a tireless worker / slave who can compute and output with greater accuracy and efficacy than any human? At some point, AI will begin producing solutions autonomously - software that 'just works' but which no human has any idea why or how. We may end up becoming like the Axiom Humans in WALL-E, living lives of comfort with little idea of how things work, and even less idea on how to fix it if some unforeseen future catastrophe might occur.

Technology can be viewed as journey in de-skilling. We become less skilled because we have technology which does the thing better. Take for example, a car. Few of us know how it really works - we have to take it to the garage to get it fixed - yet most of us know how to drive one. Ignorance and utility go together hand and in hand, and over time, we may end up disabled because we become so distant to the fundamentals behind the solution we made. How much further unable will we become when we get used to technology that we didn't made, because it was made by autonomous technology which we have enabled? We should slow down AI innovation then, because we have not thought through the consequences of AI enablement, which ultimately and inevitably leads to human enfeeblement.

What other arguments are there for slowing down AI innovation?

I'm sure there are many more. I have selected 5, because this is the best number for listicles (knew this before AI) but would be interested to know what others you might come up with. Let me know if comments below if you have one - and remember, you have to steel man it.

Next week, we'll have a look at 5 reasons against slowing down AI innovation. That's it for now - out of the kitchen, onto the lounge ??

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What's in the News?

Replit Partner with Google Cloud

Biggest news in Generative AI last week was the announcement at AI App builder Replit will partner with Google, using Google's LLM's to provide the generative firepower for software engineering on the fly, hence becoming the only competitor to Microsoft / GitHub Copilot. Revolutionary stuff folks - press release here

ChartHop expands Scope

Bold move by ChartHop who move beyond talent intelligence and data visualisation to now also becoming a fully featured People Ops Platform - maybe the first of it's kind? Check out the blog post here

Tengai launch all new human-like interview avatar

I have been a fan of Tengai ever since as first saw the animatronic robot head and I'm excited to see what they have come up with with this new launch. I'm writing this just after the event, so you can catch replay here

If you are a recruitment service provider or technology business and have any news to share,?comment below,?this is your application to get into next week's addition of This Week, In Recruiting. Make sure to?@ mention me so that I see it

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What's Going On?

Big List of Recruitment & HR Events to Attend in 2023

We're into Q2 and we should be cranking up the events over the next few months. The Big List of Recruitment & HR Events in 2023 is your best friend folks, make sure you download or bookmark this spreadsheet - it is updated every week. Going to and holding an event which isn't appearing on this spreadsheet? Add it to the bottom of the sheet and I will merge it in.

Brainfood Live On Air - Ep200 - Supercharge Recruitment Marketing with AI, Thurs 6th April, 12pm

We're moving Brainfood Live from our Friday slot to Thursday, as I'm sure most of us will out doing better things on Good Friday! We're going back to Generative Artificial Intelligence, this time looking at it from the Recruitment Marketing perspective. How are tech vendors using generative AI, what can we recruiters learn from this? We're with Sara Dalsfelt, Head of Brand & Community (Adway), Martyn Redstone, Founder (BotJobs),?Bobby Leonard, MD (The Recruitment Events Co), Sam Berthoud, Director of Account Management (hackajob) - register here

AI and Candidate Experience, Thurs 13th April, 5pm BST / 9am PDT

This is turning out to be one of the most fun series I've done this year - it's AI and how it intersects with a different stage of the recruiting process. We're talking about AI + Candidate Experience this week - what impact does AI have on one of the most persistent problems in recruiting? We're with Yasar Ahmad, Global VP of Talent Mobility & Rewards (HelloFresh), Kevin Grossman, President (The Talent Board), with Siadhal Magos, CEO (Metaview) in as co-pilot. Register here

How Recruitment Agencies Can Present 'Wild Card' Candidates, Tues 18th April, 2pm GMT

Plenty of folks getting excited for this one - how to present WILD CARD candidates to skeptical hiring managers and clients? We've all been there and I daresay we've all had some intermittent success in doing it. But is it possible to be more consistent, is there is system we can use to more regularly position unconventional candidates into positions where they can succeed? With the legendary James Osborne, Founder (The Recruitment Network), along with Emira Blomberg, Chief Strategy Officer (Refapp) and David Nasstrom, CEO (Refapp). Register?here

Talent Acquisition Conference, Tues 9th May, Athens, Greece

Incredibly, this will be my first time in Greece. I'm delighted to be giving a new talk on 'Trust Relationships in the Era of Generative AI'. The central thesis will be how we as humans can compete for attention with software which can create better content than we do. I have a theory on how we can do it. Come to Athens folks, see you there. Register here

Hired!BCN, Thurs 15th June, Barcelona, Spain

Look at this amazing line up - some cool cats here including Renita Kasper, Piret Luts, Johnny Campbell and many others. It's the coolest conference in Europe, because it is 100% grassroots and it happens to be in the coolest city in Europe. Join us in Barcelona folks, I am in but I need to figure out what to talk about....register here. PS: I got a discount code - comment below DISCOUNT and I will DM you a special link for 10% off.

RecLive23, Thurs 6th July, 9am BST

The Recruitment & Employers Confederation has become an essential resource for agency owners in the UK - always on the pulse with labour market economics, relevant legislative changes and hot button issues which impact the sector. Their annual conference is on in July - get to it here

RecFest USA, 13-14th Sept, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

There's not a single event which is causing as much excitement as the entry of the amazing Recfest to USA. No one can put together an event like the Leonard clan and I'm delighted to be joining the great and the good for what will be (at least!) at two day party with friends on both sides of the Atlantic. Tickets are a BARGAIN at $99 per person (you read that right). Come along to this and you will have the best time of your professional life. Get tickets here

If you have an event, webinar or podcast going on next week and want it featured on next week's newsletter,?comment below?with the link and event details. Don't forget to at mention me so that I see it

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Whose Story?

It's Joey NK Koksal, Global Talent Acquisition Leader at EVBox

Joey has been one of the most consistent members of the community and it was a real pleasure to work with him on this story. I asked Joey 20 Questions - here are his remarkable answers.

If you want to do 20 Questions, comment below and say so! This is an open invitation to anyone who is

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Who's Hiring?

Head of People, Vio.com, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Head of People and Culture, Talpasolutions, Essen, Germany

Senior Recruiter, Western Union, Vienna, Austria

If you are an employer and looking to hire recruiters, then feel free to post your job on the?Brainfood Jobs Job Board.?Use coupon code BTCFREE for 100% discount.

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Whose Available?

Brainfood Talent Community

Recruiters remain disproportionately impacted by lay offs....and why wouldn't we be? What is important now is to make sure that you get connected with companies that are actively hiring for recruiters, and you can do that by joining Brainfood Talent Community. It's free, confidential and open only to approved employers. If you're hiring for recruiters or HR staff, apply for a free company account and get access?here, using this code 'BTCFREE' for 100% usage. If you're a recruiter or HR person looking for work, you can apply?here, and increase your exposure to employers vetted by me!

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Who's Posting?

Big List of Places to Post Jobs (Globally)

500+ job boards, community spaces and marketplaces where you can post jobs you are hiring for, filtered by over 50 countries. This spreadsheet is ideal for those of you who are hiring internationally for specific locations and want to connect with local job boards and providers. Crowdsourced, so open for anyone to edit and update. Bookmark it?here?folks.

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Who's Moving?

Jon Warwick joins Sky as Group Talent Acquisition Director, after 7 amazing years at Sainsbury's. There's few people in the industry who have had the sort of TA transformation experience that Jon has, going to be exciting to see how you get on at another world class brand. Good luck man, let me know how you go ??

Mikenzie Penna rejoins SmartRecruiters as Enterprise Account Executive, having worked for Beamery and Mya Systems in between. Is there a better sign of a great fit than a boomerang hire? Great to see Mikenzie back as a Smartian - a smart move!

John Chalkley?joins Lighthouse Games as Director of Talent Acquisition, after spending the past 4 years leading the TA function at Jagex. Games recruitment is such an interesting niche - not quite tech, not quite media, something unique in of itself. Going to have to do a games focused Brainfood Live at some point I reckon..

Annela Mets joins United Talents as Project Manager. Must have been 4 years (5?) since I first met Annela, one of the key members of the wonderful Recruitment Thursday community in Estonia. Congratulations Annela - hope we get the chance to meet again soon.

Raggi Gandham joins AMS as Senior Talent Project Manager. Always interesting to move into proper PM roles working in a big talent solutions consultancy - one of the jobs I wished I did, if I could run it through all over again!

Promotions to celebrate: Stacey Slater goes up to Senior Global Talent Operations Manager at Oyster, Conor Donoghue goes up and expands scope as Director of People, Culture & Talent at Zip Co, Inga Cesnuleviciute goes up to Head of Talent Acquisition at Dixa, Eszter Farkas?goes up to Executive Talent Management Associate at BlackRock, Jonathan Hawkins?goes up to the splendidly titled Superintendent Talent at Mineral Resources Ltd and finally my good mate Michael Bayston gets promoted to VP Adtech Solutions at Acast. Congratulations all!

If you have made a senior exec appointment to your business,?and feel the wider community needs to know about it,?comment below?with the details and see it featured in next weeks issue.?Don't forget to @ mention me in it so that I see it

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What Are You Doing?

Hanna Raju launches The Talent Collective, a HR consultancy which offers TA training, advisory and search services. Female led, self funded and we are here to make a real difference for companies going through any event (either funding, a downturn or a sudden change in headcount) to approach hiring more thoughtfully and to be more resource conscious and efficient. Go check them out!

Sara Dalsfelt, Head of Brand and Community (Adway), is moving to London, to help push forward the Adway presence in UK and the rest of the Europe. Welcome Sara - any advice for Sara on the best places in London to stay...?

Sergej Zimpel has a new podcast, HR Messed You Up, Kid - fantastic to see the proliferation of pods and newsletters going on right now. Let 100 flowers bloom folks!

If you are doing something new,?comment below?with what it is and share a link to where you want people to go. Don't forget to mention me in it so that I see it

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End Notes

Easter is generally my favourite time of the year - two short weeks in a row, a general slow down in pace and....a lack of interest anyone has in partying ??. Going to use the time to recharge, do some DIY, sort out the lighting in the fish tank set up and clear out all the life admin which I basically store up for this time of year.

Hope everyone has fun or useful or relaxing plans - have a great week everybody

Hung

Hung Lee is the curator of?Recruiting Brainfood, and now This Week In Recruiting. Subscribe to both if you are into recruiting or HR or just interested in world of work.