As companies ramp up their examination of how artificial intelligence (AI) can benefit their businesses, Emily Mack and Savannah McCabe authored an article for the Nashville Business Journal’s Future of Technology section about the risks for employers when leveraging AI in their hiring practices.

“AI can be programmed to quickly analyze application materials to confirm basic job prerequisites,” Mack and McCabe wrote. “Given this expediency, it’s no surprise that approximately 83% of employers currently use AI in their hiring process. It saves time for HR professionals and increases objectivity by ignoring a candidate’s name, age, and other identifiers in favor of concrete, transferable skills. That said, employers using AI for hiring should be mindful of potential discriminatory impacts.”

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently noted that using AI raises concerns about these potential discriminatory impacts as the reliance on biased data or flawed instructions could amplify inherent biases. As a result, human oversight is crucial in interpreting AI outcomes and making hiring decisions and other employment decisions.

“While AI technology brings challenges to businesses and their HR departments, the balance and collaboration between human beings and AI technology nevertheless holds promise for a future of increased productivity and innovation,” Mack and McCabe concluded.

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