Can Technology Add Bias to the Way we Build Relationships, Work and Make Decisions?

Technology enables us to do so much in a short amount of time. The question is are we as a society paying a price of quality vs. quantity, and if yes what is the cost?

There are many articles written about how jobs are going to be eliminated due to technology, as I read I am not thinking about less, but more. I say this because technology is giving us so much more than we may be able to humanly handle. We now have more communication, information and relationships with the internet/social media/ skype/ computer programs/ apps etc. connecting people all over the world. We can multi-task way beyond our means and manage more than ever. We can produce more work, faster, and make decisions quicker.

We are still human, our capacity to process and comprehend has not changed. Are we just doing a lesser version of more to keep up and does this create bias in the process? We can have hundreds or thousands of relationships or candidates and learn more about what is happening in people’s lives, communicate and let people know what we are up to in seconds. We can work, order clothes/food, check out, text, get a ride, keep up with people, play games without talking or leaving our house on a computer, device, app, phone, etc.

Are we paying the human price with technology of real relationships, interpersonal skills, connection, soft skills, conversation and honest information? Are we making biased judgements based on one moment in time, one person’s version of another’s story, an exaggerated vision of who people really are? Just as a resume cannot tell all about a person’s career, a social media post cannot tell a person’s character or life story, searching google does not determine a person’s success and someone else’s perspective does not reflect everyone’s reality.

In recruiting there will always be a need to have many forms of human personal interaction; therefore an ATS and AI will not replace a recruiter, a phone screen, an in person interview or a follow up call. It can enhance the process, but it will not change it. The recruiting process done right takes time and creates a relationship where a candidate and prospective employer can develop a connection to make an educated decision for both parties without bias on the right person and job.

Too much information causes a loss of our ability to be human, real, handle our capacity and we as a society may need consider just how to utilize technology to create the right balance for work and relationships so we do not make judgments to quickly which can lead to bias. A phone call, talking to someone in person or just saying hi can go a lot further than a text, a social media post, an email etc. in getting to know someone.