An analysis called Fairness, AI & recruitment from last month by researchers at the eLaw Center for Law and Digital Technologies, Leiden University, the Netherlands, addresses an important problem. How can a company use artificial intelligence to aid in recruitment and hiring without crossing lines in privacy and social discrimination?

AI and recruitment aren't a sudden pairing. For years, HR departments have increasingly used computers to aid in screening candidates for potential jobs. At a simpler level, software pores through stacks of resumes, scanning for the desired combination of buzzwords to determine who might have the right combination of backgrounds and knowledge.

That starting point likely counts as a lower form of AI. There have been more sophisticated attempts, like the Amazon.com internal project to apply machine learning. In 2018, the company scrapped the project because it had become a disaster. Amazon has been trying to develop a system since 2014 to mechanize the search for talent and in the process eliminate gender bias in hiring.