Latest news with #Paradox
CNBC
28-07-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Chipotle's AI hiring tool is helping it find new workers 75% faster
From robots that help make chips to those that prepare avocados for guacamole, Chipotle is using AI to make its restaurants more efficient while allowing workers to focus on other tasks. The fast casual restaurant chain is also applying AI to the process of hiring workers, allowing managers to stay more focused on running their restaurants. Chipotle added an AI-powered platform to its hiring process that it dubbed "Ava Cado." The platform, created by AI HR firm Paradox, is essentially a conversational chatbot that interacts with job candidates, answers questions about the company and the job, collects information about them, and ultimately can schedule interviews with human hiring managers. It can also converse in English, Spanish, French, and German. Chipotle chief human resources officer Ilene Eskenazi said the company's growth plan was a factor in the decision to use the AI hiring technology. With projections for about 300 new restaurants opening each year with an average of 30 employees per location, the company estimates it will have somewhere between 9,000 and 10,000 new hires per year, on top of other positions opening up at existing Chipotles. Making sure there is no friction in that process is key. Prior to rolling out Ava Cado, Chipotle managers were tasked with scheduling all of the interviews, both from people who applied online as well as during hiring events or when people came in seeking employment. That led to a lot of administrative work for managers. Since introducing the AI chatbot, Eskenazi said Chipotle's number of applicants "has increased dramatically" and the company is also seeing about an 85% application completion rate. Ava Cado helps the job candidate by populating the application with the information they provide, cutting down the average time it takes to complete at application to around eight minutes. "That has greatly increased our funnel so that we're serving up many more candidates for our managers to evaluate," Eskenazi said. "Maintaining our pipeline of candidates is always something that we're very focused on," she added. Ava Cado is also tasked with managing the interview schedules for managers, who are able to block out certain times during the week and candidates can then be scheduled based on their availability. Perhaps most importantly, Eskenazi said, is that while Ava Cado walks candidates through the application process, it also shares information about Chipotle and the job with them, so that "they're much more informed about what the job really is, and so then we know that the applicants are that much more interested in the job by the time they're meeting a hiring manager in person." That's helping Chipotle hire faster, reducing time to hire by up to 75%, CEO Scott Boatwright told CNBC's Jim Cramer earlier this year. "We leaned into an AI hiring assistant from Paradox about six months ago that has put us on better footing from a staffing perspective," Boatwright said. "And we've been, in the eight years I've been in the organization, pushing past numbers we thought were all-time highs just last year." Paradox has roughly 1,000 clients that use its conversational AI platform at some point in the hiring and recruiting process, including 7-Eleven, General Motors, Nestle, Marriott International and Lowe's. Eskenazi said that Chipotle has been seeing candidates go from application to ready to hire within three and a half days thanks to Ava Cado, which previously could have been up to 12 days. Still, much like how workers are concerned about AI taking their jobs, there are some concerns about how AI is increasingly being integrated in the hiring experience, whether that's through screening of resumes or even speaking directly to an AI powered recruiter. There are also potential concerns about the security of applicant data when interacting with AI recruiters — earlier this month, Paradox reported that a security vulnerability was detected by researchers, potentially exposing applicant names, email addresses and contact info. Paradox said none of the data was leaked or made public. Wired had previously reported the affected client was McDonald's. Chipotle's Ava Cado AI does not screen resumes and does not make employment decisions, and Eskenazi said the company has a strong interview and training process that its managers will continue to lead and make the decisions for. However, she said, the company is looking to expand Ava Cado's capabilities, whether that's sharing videos with candidates to give them a better view into what working at Chipotle is like, or giving applicants a prompt to also consider other locations where there may be openings nearby. There are ways AI can also be integrated into the company's learning and development programing. "We've gotten a lot of anecdotal feedback from both general managers and candidates, and it's been incredibly strong," Eskenazi said. "I personally have been pleasantly surprised by how much candidates have enjoyed interacting with Ava."
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Deer Creek Fire continues to spread into Colorado
MONTROSE COUNTY, Colo. (KREX) – The Deer Creek Fire continues to spread as strong winds pushed the blaze about 2 miles over the Colorado-Utah border. The fire, which started on July 10 in Utah and spread nearly 15,000 acres, has provided quite the challenge for firefighters. Heavy equipment, engines and crews moved into Colorado due to the wildfire, and now engines are staged along CO Highway 90 and in Paradox. According to fire officials, difficult weather conditions are still in store over the next few days. Afternoon thunderstorms are possible, which could produce gusts up to 60 miles per hour. Crews and dozers will continue creating a containment line to protect structures at risk. Seven percent has so far been contained. Depending on whether winds become too strong, aircraft will be used along with hand crews and heavy equipment, mostly on the north and east, where the fire is most active. Aviation resources have dropped nearly 300,000 gallons of retardant on the surrounding area. Fire officials said anyone who is sensitive to smoke exposure should limit time outdoors and consult a doctor if necessary. Over 400 personnel members have been dispatched to the wildfire. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Forbes
14-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
McDonald's ‘123456' Password Scare Reframes Responsible AI Debate
A security flaw on the McHire platform jeopardized 64 million applicants' data. Set aside aspirational AI rhetoric, alarmist consultant pitches and techno-babble. AI success requires candor about incentives, incompetence and indifference. McDonald's learned that harsh lesson (in a relatively costless way) when two security researchers used '123456' as the username and password to astonishingly fully access the Golden Arches hiring platform — and over 64 million applicants' personal data. The noble cyber sleuths, Ian Carroll and Sam Curry, reported the flaw to McDonald's and its AI vendor, Paradox, for swift technical resolution. If nefarious actors found the lax vulnerability, McDonald's leadership would be mired in a costly, public crisis. So, will the fast-food goliath learn from this 'near-miss' to improve tech governance? Will others tap this averted disaster for overdue responsible AI introspection and action? It depends. Widespread and hushed AI deployment problems need thornier fixes than many boards and senior executives will acknowledge, admit or address. Super-sized opportunities Workplace crises can be proactively prevented (or eventually explained) by tackling incentives, incompetence and indifference with stewardship, capability and care. The Golden Arches 'near miss' exemplifies that and the timing couldn't be better. While 88% of executives surveyed by PwC expect agentic AI spending increases this year, many struggle to articulate how AI will drive competitive advantage. Nearly 70% indicated that still half or fewer of their workforce interacts with agents daily. Indiscriminately 'throwing money' at issues can create more problems than it solves. Here's a better start. Dissect incentives. Talent, culture and bureaucratic entrenchment stymie big firms desperate to innovate. Nimble, bootstrapped startups tantalizingly fill those voids, but crave revenue and reputation. Stalled AI implementations only fuel that magnetism. Typically, the larger organization the makes headlines when deals falter. How many leadership teams meaningfully assess third-party risk from an incentives perspective? Or do expedited results more strongly appeal to their own compensation and prestige hunger? Is anyone seriously assessing which party has more (or less) to lose? Nearly 95% of McDonald's 43,000 restaurants are franchised. With over 2 million workers and aggressive growth aims, automating job applications is a logical AI efficiency move. Its selected vendor, whose tagline boasts 'meet the AI assistant for all things hiring' seemed like a natural partner. At what hidden costs? Successful strategic alliances require an 'outside-in' look at a counterparty's interests. Three of the seven-member Paradox board are private equity partners, including chair Mike Gregoire. In Startups Declassified, acclaimed business school professor and tech thought leader Steve Andriole emphasizes flagship revenue's valuation criticality, 'There's no more important start-up activity than sales — especially important are the 'lighthouse' customers willing to testify to the power and greatness of products and services. Logo power is [vital] to start-ups.' 'Remember that no one wants to buy start-ups unless the company has killer intellectual property or lists of recurring customers. Profitable recurring revenue is nirvana. Exits occur when a start-up becomes empirically successful,' he continued. Assess skill and will. Despite its global presence, digital strategy imperatives and daily transaction volume, the 2025 McDonald's proxy reveals three common AI-era oversight shortfalls: inadequate boardroom cyber expertise, no technology committee and cybersecurity relegated to audit oversight. Those are serious signaling problems. In fact, the word 'cybersecurity' only appears nine times across the 100-page filing. In the director qualifications section, information technology is grouped with cybersecurity and vaguely defined 'contributes to an understanding of information technology capabilities, cloud computing, scalable data analytics and risks associated with cybersecurity matters.' Just four of the eleven directors are tagged as such. While three of those four worked in the tech sector, none has any credible IT or cybersecurity expertise. Intriguingly, not one of the four, board member and former Deloitte CEO Cathy Engelbert has the best experience to push stronger governance. Is she, now the prominent WNBA league commissioner, willing to take such contentious risk? To start, she can tap longtime McDonald's CFO Ian Borden and auditors EY for guidance and ideas on bolstering board composition. Nearly 95% of McDonald's 43,000 restaurants worldwide are franchised. When tech issues arise, fingers, by default, point at the IT team. However, responsible AI design and deployment truly require cross-functional leadership commitment. McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski routinely touts a 4D strategy (digital, delivery, drive-thru and development) and characterizes the fast-food frontrunner's tech edge as 'unmatched.' That bravado brings massive expectations and he can't be happy with the '123456' password distraction. With annual compensation approaching $20 million annually, he also has a responsible AI obligation to current and future McDonald's workers making, on average, 1,014 times less — as well as the 40,000 franchisees. Valerie Ashbaugh, McDonald's commercial products and platform SVP, rotates into the US CIO seat next month. The timing is ideal to institute policies, procedures and accountability for stronger third-party IT access controls. Alan Robertson, UK ambassador to the Global Council for Responsible AI, astutely notes, 'The damage is done — not by hackers, but by sheer negligence. McDonald's has pinned the issue on Paradox. Paradox says they fixed it and have since launched a bug bounty program. It raises bigger questions for all of us. Who audits the third-party vendors we automate hiring with? Where does the liability sit when trust is breached at this scale? And what does 'responsible AI' even mean when basic cybersecurity hygiene isn't in place? We talk about ethics — but sometimes it's just about setting a password.' That's prototypical indifference — especially when the access key is "123456." Likewise, HR leaders have a chance to meaningfully shape AI rollouts. 'HR needs to resist the urge to 'just go along.' There will be many HR leaders who simply wait for the various software lines they current license to add AI functionality. To do so would be a mistake. AI will become a critical part of the employee experience and HR should have a hand in that,' advises AthenaOnline SVP of customer solutions Mark Jesty. At McDonald's, EVP and global chief people officer Tiffanie Boyd holds that golden opportunity to elevate responsible AI on the board and c-suite agendas. Will she? Responsibility knocks The McHire 'near-miss' highlights how boards and c-suites can remain dangerously unprepared for AI design, deployment and oversight. Strategy speed and tech wizardry must never be at stewardship's cost. "If you're deploying AI without basic security hygiene, you're not innovating. You're endangering people. Security is not optional,' implores CEO Ivan Rahman. Who's opting for drive-thru AI governance?
Time of India
13-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Caviar is making its way to desi dinners and shop shelves as India develops a taste for the exotic
On a recent afternoon in Mumbai, shoppers at Food Square's Worli gourmet store paused to inspect the contents of a glass counter. There were tins of French caviar—sleek, chilled and ready to be scooped onto warm blinis or canapés. Not many moons ago, these translucent pearls of roe were not found in neighbourhood stores. They were confined to billionaires' banquets or the hush of first-class cabins. But now caviar—saltcured fish eggs, traditionally from sturgeon—is quietly crossing into India's retail stores. Paris-based Kaviari has landed in India with 30 gram-jars. Meanwhile, Bengaluru-based Caviar India promises two-day delivery across metros while Catch of Norway, also from the same city, claims it can drop fresh tins at a doorstep in Kerala or Karnataka by sundown. A 30 g jar of royal beluga caviar, the finest, costs over ₹20,000. As global luxury recalibrates to make space for the aspirational Indian consumer, caviar has become both a culinary curiosity and a discreet social flex. Demand has grown enough to spark exclusive import tie-ups, B2B partnerships with fine-dining restaurants and pop-up tasting events. 'The demand has remained robust, with a strong growth potential,' says Lalit Jhawar, cofounder and CEO of Food Square, the gourmet grocery store based in Mumbai. 'Our audience keeps expanding—culinary enthusiasts, chefs and individuals seeking a luxurious lifestyle.' Live Events FLYING FISH If there's one reason caviar is turning up on Indian dining tables and Instagram feeds, it's because importers and retailers have learned to package the old-world delicacy as accessible luxury. Instead of 250-gram tins reserved for private clubs, today's consumers can buy 10or 30-gram jars—just enough for a special dinner or a house party. 'We are seeing a growing demand for smaller tins,' says Jhawar. 'Customers want to indulge without the commitment of large quantities.' At Food Square, which began selling caviar soon after its launch in late 2023, smaller pack sizes and reliable cold chain logistics have been crucial. Rugved Vartak , category head at Food Square, says, 'In the past, caviar would arrive grainy or mushy because the cold chain was compromised. Now, we fly in new batches every fortnight and check every shipment.' The store lists Kaviari's 30-gram tins for around ₹8,000. They also stock mother-ofpearl spoons that are traditionally used to scoop caviar instead of steel or silver cutlery that could leave a metallic aftertaste. Vartak adds, 'We also work closely with chefs like Varun Totlani (Masque and Paradox), Hussain Shahzad (Papa's Cafe), Prateek Sadhu ( Naar ) and Will Aghajanian (Table), so the product reaches diners in some of the most creative formats.' Restaurants have played their part in familiarising diners with caviar. At Paradox in Mumbai, Totlani serves caviar in many ways: with warm cheese bread and herb dip, or in a cocktail called Cheap Date laced with caviar, or as 'caviar bump' where the roe is dolloped on the back of a guest's hand. Says Totlani, 'A lot of our guests are world travellers, so they have tried caviar before. But even those ordering it for a lark love it. Our tins are flying off the shelves.' Diners are increasingly curious about provenance and grade, asking chefs whether the tin contains the roe of beluga, ossetra or sevruga. 'People ask me which caviar I have,' says Manu Chandra, founder-partner, Manu Chandra Enterprises , which runs, among others, the Bengalurubased restaurant Lupa and the bespoke catering service Single Thread. 'They know that ossetra is high-grade and that provenance matters.' Vartak says his regular clients host caviar parties, sometimes pairing it with champagne. WALKING ON EGGSHELLS While there is demand, importing caviar into India is neither simple nor cheap. Every batch must carry paperwork from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to prove the sturgeon wasn't poached, a step that has grown stricter as the Caspian Sea populations dwindle. Wild beluga sturgeon is now classified as critically endangered. Most caviar sold in India comes from farmed stocks in Europe or China, where large aquaculture facilities have ramped up production. Strict cold-chain requirements to maintain texture and import duties can swell prices by up to 50%. 'The biggest challenge is ensuring the supply chain stays intact,' says Vartak. 'Even minor temperature fluctuations can ruin a tin.' Improvements in cold chain facilities have made premium brands more confident about entering the Indian market. However, ethical questions remain. According to animal welfare organisation Beauty Without Cruelty, production of caviar almost always involves killing the fish. Large aquaculture facilities that supply most of the world's caviar are trying to allay these fears. They promise traceability and less impact on wild stocks with controlled breeding tanks and highlight sustainability certifications on tins, noting details such as farm of origin, ethical harvesting practices and traditional malossol (low-salt, preservative-free) curing. Importers say these labels have become a selling point for discerning buyers. Even farmed caviar is highly regulated, tightly rationed and eternally expensive—a reason why caviar cannot truly be a massmarket luxury. MAKE IN INDIA? If importing caviar is complicated, producing it domestically is even more improbable—at least for now. Yet the idea persists in India's culinary circles: what if the country could someday farm its own sturgeon and sidestep the costs and uncertainties of global supply chains? Globally, aquaculture is the only scalable way to produce caviar without driving wild sturgeon to extinction. China has sprawling tank farms while French and Italian producers have invested heavily in recirculating aquaculture systems. In India, this possibility has flickered to life in policy discussions. The National Fisheries Development Board has funded feasibility studies and pilot projects on sturgeon farming. Jhawar believes the model is technically viable: 'Globally, the caviar industry is embracing recirculating aquaculture systems, and that approach could work here too.' But the reality is different. Sturgeon are slow to mature, often taking 7 to 14 years before they yield roe suitable for harvesting. They require cold, clean, spring-like water conditions—far from typical Indian aquaculture environments. Regulatory hurdles are steep, with strict controls on importing live sturgeon or fertilised eggs for breeding. Even as caviar becomes more visible, it remains among the most expensive delicacies in India's food ecosystem. Chandra, who occasionally serves ossetra roe by the tin, describes caviar as a costprohibitive, perishable indulgence that few diners request more than once: 'It's still a high-luxury product, and prices have never really rationalised in India.'
The Age
10-07-2025
- Business
- The Age
Personal information of McDonald's job applicants exposed online
Thousands of Australian prospective McDonald's workers have had their personal information exposed online due to a security vulnerability in an AI chatbot used by the fast-food giant. The chatbot, 'Olivia', handles job applications for McDonald's franchisees globally, including in Australia, screening candidates and asking for information including their resumes and contact information, then conducting a personality test. Olivia, built by US-based software firm Paradox, suffered from poor security, however, with researchers last week able to access the chatbot's 64 million chat records using the username and password, '123456'. The security researchers, Ian Carroll and Sam Curry, verified that the chat records were legitimate and included applicants' names, email addresses and phone numbers. Their research was first reported by US tech news publication Wired. When The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald applied for a job at McDonald's, Olivia sought a 60-second video, asking why we wanted to work at McDonald's, as well as our email address and phone information. Olivia also asks candidates whether several personal traits are 'me' or 'not me', including 'open to feedback', 'traditional', 'calm in the storm', and 'do it yourself'. 'I just thought it was pretty uniquely dystopian compared to a normal hiring process, right? And that's what made me want to look into it more,' security researcher Ian Carroll told Wired. 'So I started applying for a job, and then after 30 minutes, we had full access to virtually every application that's ever been made to McDonald's going back years.' McDonald's Australia hires more than 11,000 workers every year and is one of the nation's largest employers, with more than 100,000 employees across its restaurants and management offices. According to McDonald's, more than 5 per cent of the Australian population has at some point worked for the golden arches.
