Tech giant Amazon has scrapped a “sexist” recruitment tool that used artificial intelligence to sort through job applications, according to a Reuters report.
Amazon’s team, according to internal sources, had been building computer programs since 2014 to review job applicants’ resumes with the aim of mechanizing the search for top talent.
Everyone wanted this holy grail,” one of the people told Reuters, adding: “They literally wanted it to be an engine where I’m going to give you 100 resumes, it will spit out the top five, and we’ll hire those.”
The artificial intelligence system was trained on data submitted by applicants over a 10-year period, much of which came from men, it claimed. Over a period of time, the machine effectively taught itself that male candidates were preferable.
Amazon ultimately disbanded the team by the start of last year. So far it has not responded to the report.
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