‘Scary' job interview moment caught on video

News.com.au

09-05-2025

Picture this: You've polished off your resume, triple-checked your outfit and you're ready to charm your way into a dream job.
Then, you log into the virtual meeting room only to be met with a robotic voice instead of the typical friendly manager.
This is the disturbing new reality of job interviews in 2025.
In clips posted to social media, job applicants have shared their experiences with the new technology.
'This was so scary guys,' one post was captioned.
Gathering over 2.5 million views, many were quick to brand the new practice as 'disrespectful' and 'dystopian'.
A woman who appears to be interviewing for a job at international gym chain Club Pilates can be seen dressed in a blazer with her hair and makeup done.
She is then met with the voice of an AI assistant who says, 'Hello, I'm Alex the recruiter at Club Pilates.'
Before she can even reply, the bot continues to speak saying, 'Thank you for taking the time to interview today,' before going on to explain the role.
'I just wanted to interview in real life,' the woman told her viewers.
'AI interviews are so disrespectful and dehumanising. You don't want anything to do with this company if this is how they are treating their candidates,' said one viewer.
'If a company doesn't have the decency to use a real human to interview you that shows exactly who the company is,' agreed another.
'Oh wow. This is so unacceptable,' said a third.
AI software is becoming increasingly popular with employers who are using it as an efficient, cheaper and quicker way to sift through large volumes of applicants.
Sometimes, the technology is used to filter likely-candidates through to a second human-led interview.
Other times, the AI tool may decide whether a candidate moves forward in the hiring process without any human review.
AI interview bots are digital systems powered by artificial intelligence that can ask questions, listen to your answers, analyse your tone, and even your facial expressions.
Big-name companies such as L'Oreal are already implementing this technology to screen thousands of candidates.
Why AI?
Unlike human recruiters, AI bots have the ability to interview 500 people before lunch. It serves as a time and cost-effective way of getting through the interview process.
In theory, AI's supposed bias reduction is meant to provide applicants with a more level playing field where their looks, outfits or even voice are not considered.
Their data-driven decisions take all the hard work out of crunching the numbers, patterns and keywords to determine who's ready for the job.
However, the human touch and personal connection is missing.
What's the big problem with AI?
Recruitment expert and workplace consultant Tammie Ballis told news.com.au that the use of AI in interviews can be 'irresponsible and dangerous'.
'When it comes to human factor you still need instinct, you still need to hear the motivation of the candidate and assess their body language. All the things AI can't do,' she said.
Ms Ballis has been in the industry for 10 years and believes Australians aren't willing to put up with AI interviewing.
She believes that candidates who have their first interview in-person are 'more likely to stay for the duration of the recruitment process'.
Applicants are not only missing out on human connection, they are also being met with a lack of transparency.
Having no idea what criteria the AI bot is using to interview you can mean that key points and creativity are easily lost in translation.
'Because you're not speaking to a real person you can't ask questions. You can't ask for feedback or for them to rephrase the question,' Ms Ballis said.
Not only this, using AI presents the obvious issue of malfunctions.
In clips shared to social media, people have captured the moment their AI interviews took a turn for the worst.
In one video captioned 'I was expecting a real human. They didn't tell me ahead of time they'd use AI,' a man in a shirt and tie can be seen on a video call with an AI bot.
The bot can be heard repeatedly saying 'lets touch base' as it appears to malfunction over and over before becoming incoherent.
Ms Ballis believes recruitment is a strictly 'human job' but that agencies can benefit from the implementation of AI in other ways such as writing job ads, completing tedious manual tasks or screening resumes.