Analysis: As AI becomes better at imitation, organisations must become better at recognising authenticity, and that begins by bringing people back into the room
A recent WIRED investigation offered a disturbing glimpse into one of the darker consequences of artificial intelligence. It reported how North Korean operatives allegedly used AI tools to create fake identities, generate convincing CVs, build fraudulent company websites, and assist candidates during remote job interviews in efforts to infiltrate firms and steal millions.
The story was primarily about cybersecurity, but it also exposed a broader truth about modern employment: when recruitment becomes too remote, too automated and too dependent on screens, it becomes easier to deceive.
For years, employers have embraced technology to streamline hiring. CVs are filtered by software before a human ever sees them. Candidates complete one-way video interviews. Assessments are delivered online. First-round interviews are often conducted entirely through Zoom or Teams and increasingly, AI is being used to screen applicants, rank candidates and automate communication.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Drivetime, how to answer the all important strength's and weakness questions during job interviews
In Ireland, this shift is accelerating rapidly. Recent surveys suggest that almost eight in ten employers now use AI somewhere in the recruitment process, while remote interviews have become routine for many medium and large organisations.
Digital hiring is no longer the exception. It is becoming the norm. There are obvious advantages: recruitment can be faster, cheaper and more convenient, employers can process hundreds of applications quickly, candidates can interview without travelling, and administrative burdens are reduced. But efficiency is not the same as judgment. The danger is not simply foreign fraud or organised cybercrime, dramatic though those headlines may be. The deeper concern is that employers may increasingly struggle to know who they are really hiring.
Artificial intelligence can now write polished cover letters, optimise CVs for applicant-tracking systems, generate model interview answers in real time, and coach candidates during online interviews. It can help create highly impressive digital versions of applicants that may bear only partial resemblance to the person behind the screen. Even where there is no dishonesty, something important can still be lost.
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From RTÉ 2FM's Jennifer Zamparelli, Susan Keating talks about how to succeed when doing job interviews
Candidates can become over-prepared, scripted and generic. Interviews become performances rather than conversations. Employers may learn a great deal about a candidate's digital fluency, but far less about their character, and character still matters.
The qualities that often determine success in the workplace are rarely the ones easiest to measure such as judgment, integrity, empathy, curiosity, resilience and self-awareness. Not to mention the ability to build trust with colleagues and clients, calmness under pressure, good listening, and professional presence. These are deeply human qualities and no algorithm can fully assess them.
That is why employers should reconsider the rush away from physical interviews. Meeting a candidate in person still provides insights that no software can replicate. How someone enters a room, greets others, listens carefully, thinks aloud, responds when challenged and engages naturally with people often reveals more than any AI-assisted application form ever could.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's The Business, Louise Campbell discusses what's changed when applying for a job and how much of it is the fault of AI.
The in-person interview is not old-fashioned, it is a safeguard. It allows employers to test authenticity and helps assess cultural fit. It offers a more rounded sense of how an individual may function in a team environment. It reminds both sides that recruitment is not merely a transaction but the beginning of a professional relationship.
This matters especially for graduate recruitment. Many students today are highly capable digitally. They can build strong online profiles, communicate confidently by message, and navigate digital platforms with ease. But increasing numbers have had fewer opportunities to develop face-to-face professional confidence. That is not a criticism of graduates, but a reflection of how education, technology and post-pandemic habits have evolved.
If interviews increasingly happen online, and if communication increasingly happens through screens, then many young people simply get fewer chances to practise the interpersonal skills employers continue to value most. This creates a challenge for universities and colleges.
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From RTÉ Radio One's Drivetime, how to answer the all important strengths and weaknesses
Higher education cannot focus solely on technical competence and academic content. It must also place renewed emphasis on soft-skill development: communication, teamwork, confidence-building, presentation skills, professional etiquette, networking and interview preparation.
Mock interviews should become standard. Oral presentation should matter. Students should be taught how to hold eye contact, structure answers, read a room, ask thoughtful questions, and communicate with warmth and professionalism. These are not secondary skills. In many careers, they are decisive skills.
Graduates entering an AI-shaped labour market need to become more human, not less. None of this means technology should be abandoned. AI can improve recruitment in sensible ways. It can reduce administration, widen reach and help identify talent efficiently. Remote interviews can also be practical and inclusive in many circumstances. But employers should be cautious about allowing convenience to replace judgment.
The lesson from the WIRED story is not simply that bad actors can misuse technology. It is that as AI becomes better at imitation, organisations must become better at recognising authenticity.
That begins by bringing people back into the room.
Use technology to support hiring by all means. But when it matters most, meet the candidate, shake their hand and have the conversation face to face, as some of the most important things an employer needs to know still cannot be downloaded.
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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
