Chipotle Mexican Grill job applicants better get used to it converse with AI – their first interview could take place with an artificial intelligence-powered system called “Ava Cado” rather than with a human hiring manager.
The Mexican fast food chain announced Tuesday that it is partnering with Paradox, a maker of what the tech company calls “conversational” AI, to launch the new recruiting platform.
By collecting basic information about candidates, Ava will allow restaurant managers to focus on other tasks, according to the company. AI can also schedule interviews and even provide job offers in real time, the company said. Ava is also multilingual and able to conduct interviews in English, Spanish, French and German.
The new technology is expected to reduce the time it takes for Chipotle to hire an employee for a restaurant position by 75%, Chipotle said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch.
Chipotle plans to deploy the system in more than 3,500 restaurants in North America and Europe. The technology is currently being introduced to restaurants in a phased approach that is expected to be completed by the end of October.
In addition to collecting biographical information, Ava can interact with candidates and answer their questions about the company, according to Chipotle.
“Paradox operates as if we had hired additional administrative staff for all of our restaurants, freeing up more time for managers to support team members and deliver an exceptional guest experience. We are excited about the early improvements we are seeing “said the Chipotle chief. » said human resources manager Ilene Eskenazi in a statement.
A number of other major restaurant chains, retailers and other businesses have turned to Paradox’s AI recruiting technology, including Applebee’s, McDonald’s, Panera Bread, Taco Bell and Wendy’s.
While AI can speed up the hiring process, it can also controversial as a recruitment tool. Some studies have shown that this can lead to biased evaluation of applicants and unintentional discrimination against people based on their race or gender.
To guard against the misuse of AI in recruiting, New York City passed a law in 2021 that requires companies that use this technology to disclose it’s use to job candidates. Employers are also required to conduct third-party “bias audits” of their automated recruiting systems annually to ensure the technology does not discriminate against certain types of applicants.
