Latest news with #JenniferDunn
Khaleej Times
08-07-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Welcome to your job interview. Your interviewer is AI
When Jennifer Dunn, 54, landed an interview last month through a recruiting firm for a vice president of marketing job, she looked forward to talking to someone about the role and learning more about the potential employer. Instead, a virtual artificial intelligence recruiter named Alex sent her a text message to schedule the interview. And when Dunn got on the phone at the appointed time for the meeting, Alex was waiting to talk to her. 'Are you a human?' Dunn asked. 'No, I'm not a human,' Alex replied. 'But I'm here to make the interview process smoother.' For the next 20 minutes, Dunn, a marketing professional in San Antonio, answered Alex's questions about her qualifications — though Alex could not answer most of her questions about the job. Even though Alex had a friendly tone, the conversation 'felt hollow,' Dunn said. In the end, she hung up before finishing the interview. You might have thought AI was coming for your job. First it's coming for your job interviewer. Job seekers across the country are starting to encounter faceless voices and avatars backed by AI in their interviews. These autonomous interviewers are part of a wave of artificial intelligence known as 'agentic AI,' where AI agents are directed to act on their own to generate real-time conversations and build on responses. Some aspects of job searches — such as screening resumes and scheduling meetings — have become increasingly automated over time, but the interview had long seemed to be the part of the process that most needed a human touch. Now AI is encroaching upon even that domain, making the often frustrating and ego-busting task of finding a job even more impersonal. Talking to AI interviewers has 'felt very dehumanising,' said Charles Whitley, 22, a recent computer science and mathematics graduate from Santa Clara University who has had two such conversations in the past seven months. In one interview, for a software engineering job, he said, the AI voice tried to seem more human by adding 'ums' and 'uhs.' It came across as 'some horror-movie-type stuff,' Whitley said. Autonomous AI interviewers started taking off last year, according to job hunters, tech companies and recruiters. The trend has partly been driven by tech startups like Ribbon AI, Talently and Apriora, which have developed robot interviewers to help employers talk to more candidates and reduce the load on human recruiters — especially as AI tools have enabled job seekers to generate resumes and cover letters and apply to tons of openings with a few clicks. AI can personalise a job candidate's interview, said Arsham Ghahramani, the CEO and a co-founder of Ribbon AI. His company's AI interviewer, which has a customizable voice and appears on a video call as moving audio waves, asks questions specific to the role to be filled, and builds on information provided by the job seeker, he said. 'It's really paradoxical, but in a lot of ways, this is a much more humanizing experience because we're asking questions that are really tailored to you,' Ghahramani said. Propel Impact, a nonprofit in Vancouver, British Columbia, that teaches young people about financial investing, began using Ribbon AI's interviewer in January. That allowed the organization to screen 500 applicants for a fellowship program it offers, far more than the 150 applicants who were interviewed by people last year, said Cheralyn Chok, Propel Impact's executive director. 'There's no way we would have been able to successfully recruit and set up offers to 300 people to join our program,' she said. Chok said the AI interviews also saved applicants the hassle of doing multiple interviews with outside financial firms to determine their fellowship placements. Instead, Propel Impact sent the recorded AI interviews to those companies. And there was still a human element, she said, since the organization told applicants that they could ask her team questions at any point. Humans cannot ultimately be taken out of the hiring process, said Sam DeMase, a career expert at ZipRecruiter, an online job board. People still need to make the hiring decisions, she said, because AI may contain bias and cannot be trusted to fully evaluate a candidate's experience, skills and fitness for a job. At the same time, more people should expect AI-run interviews, DeMase said. 'Organisations are trying to become more efficient and trying to scale faster, and as a result, they're looking to AI,' she said. That's bad news for people like Emily Robertson-Yeingst, 57, of Centennial, Colorado. In April, she was interviewed by an AI named Eve for a role as vice president of product marketing at a software company. Robertson-Yeingst was required to keep her camera on during the call, with Eve showing up as a little gray box in a corner of the screen. Eve asked Robertson-Yeingst to talk about herself, and then later asked her to 'tell me about a time you had to build a team from scratch,' among more than half a dozen questions. After almost an hour, Robertson-Yeingst asked Eve about next steps in the hiring process. Eve was unable to answer, she said. In the end, Robertson-Yeingst never heard back — from a human or an AI — about the job, which she later saw posted again on LinkedIn. The entire experience left her feeling 'used,' she said. 'It starts to make you wonder, was I just some sort of experiment?' she said. 'Were you just using me to train the AI agent? Or is there even a job?' Others said they liked talking to AI interviewers. James Gu, 21, a college student majoring in business in Calgary, Alberta, spoke to a robot interviewer for a summer analyst position through Propel Impact in February. Being drilled with questions by someone stresses him out, he said, so part of him was relieved not to speak with a person. During the interview, the AI asked Gu to 'tell me more' about his experience running an entrepreneurship club on campus. He said he had felt freer to 'yap' to the AI. 'It felt like it was interested in learning about me,' said Gu, who landed the job. Dunn has had about nine job interviews over the past two months, she said. Only one was with an AI like Alex, she said, for which she was 'grateful.' Given the choice, she never wants to interview with AI again. 'It isn't something that feels real to me,' she said.
New York Times
07-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Welcome to Your Job Interview. Your Interviewer Is A.I.
When Jennifer Dunn, 54, landed an interview last month through a recruiting firm for a vice president of marketing job, she looked forward to talking to someone about the role and learning more about the potential employer. Instead, a virtual artificial intelligence recruiter named Alex sent her a text message to schedule the interview. And when Ms. Dunn got on the phone at the appointed time for the meeting, Alex was waiting to talk to her. 'Are you a human?' Ms. Dunn asked. 'No, I'm not a human,' Alex replied. 'But I'm here to make the interview process smoother.' For the next 20 minutes, Ms. Dunn, a marketing professional in San Antonio, answered Alex's questions about her qualifications — though Alex could not answer most of her questions about the job. Even though Alex had a friendly tone, the conversation 'felt hollow,' Ms. Dunn said. In the end, she hung up before finishing the interview. You might have thought artificial intelligence was coming for your job. First it's coming for your job interviewer. Job seekers across the country are starting to encounter faceless voices and avatars backed by A.I. in their interviews. These autonomous interviewers are part of a wave of artificial intelligence known as 'agentic A.I.,' where A.I. agents are directed to act on their own to generate real-time conversations and build on responses. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
BBC News
03-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Cambourne men's group restore replica of ancient Bourn windmill
An 80-year-old replica of one of the oldest surviving windmills in the UK has been restored by a community group that supports men's mental model of Bourn Windmill, near Cambourne, Cambridgeshire, was created by Michael Dunn in his workshop in Bristol in the 1940s, but had fallen into disrepair. Cambourne Men's Shed stripped paint, repaired sails, replaced damaged parts and repainted the miniature building, as part of the "challenging but enjoyable project".The fully working model will go on display alongside the original during the windmill's open days in the summer. Greg Thompson, who runs Cambourne Men's Shed, said "restoration of the replica has been a challenging but enjoyable project and many different Shedders have contributed over the past months after work began in October 2024".The organisation is part of a UK network "providing inclusive, welcoming spaces where men can connect and contribute to local causes while supporting their own wellbeing", he added. Mr Dunn was a lifelong windmill enthusiast, who photographed mills across the UK from the 1930s to 1970s, leaving behind a vast archive now held by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings."We are very pleased that it has been accepted as part of the museum and are delighted that it has now been restored by the local Men's Shed," his daughter Jennifer said. Bourn Windmill, a Grade I listed ancient monument, is an open trestle post mill which dates back about 500 years and is owned by local charity Cambridge Past, Present & manager Allan Scott Davies said the "model is more than just a charming garden feature, it tells a story of craftsmanship, family legacy, and community spirit". Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Wichita Falls residents optimistic about central area revival
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — Neighbors are elated to hear of the potential revitalization of central Wichita Falls. 'Sometimes this neighborhood can feel almost like a forgotten area of town,' Central Wichita Falls neighbor Jennifer Dunn said. From Seymour Highway to Kell West Blvd. And Kemp Blvd. to Brook Ave lays history. 'Lot of history, a lot of traditions in this neighborhood, and I want to see it thrive,' Dunn said. The Central Wichita Falls Neighborhood Revitalization Committee is ready to rejuvenate the area with its 'Heart of the Falls Revitalization' plan. 'We want to preserve and revitalize, not gentrify,' chair Mike Mitchell told Wichita Falls City Councilors. 'We don't want to push the people that are in this neighborhood out. We just want them to kind of create that culture and start taking a little more pride in the neighborhood.' The committee developed its plan based on community feedback. Priorities include a tree clearing program, a Bright Nights, Safe Streets initiative, and enhancing existing infrastructure, just like neighbors have seen at Bridwell Park. 'I love the idea of some neighborhood pride that people,' Dunn said. Dunn is also a lifelong member of Lamar Baptist Church. She said seeing the city take initiative to restore the historic neighborhood has her excited for the future. 'We've had schools close in this area. We've had churches close in this area. Statistics show that when either of those things leave the neighborhood, the neighborhood will then go downhill,' Dunn said. 'I'm grateful to see the city taking an interest and helping to countermeasure those things and help lift up this neighborhood.' But it won't happen overnight. Dunn encourages neighbors to support the process. 'This would improve the quality of life for everyone in the neighborhood,' Dunn said. 'It's not the worst of the worst. It's not the best of the best. It can kind of feel forgotten. That makes my heart sad. I'm excited to see some effort going into revitalizing it.' Committee members and city councilors are aiming to remember the neighborhood Dunn feels is forgotten. Committee members are set to meet to discuss further action. They believe they will present the city council with recommendations at the upcoming meetings. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
National Weather Service shares how alerts are sent to East Texans
TYLER, Texas (KETK)– The National Weather Service in Fort Worth and Shreveport issued dozens of alerts on Friday as severe storms ripped through East Texas. A team of trained forecasters work together to identify key ingredients in the atmosphere that would classify a severe thunderstorm watch/warning, flash flooding and tornado watch/warning. 'When the warning is issued, that's when we want you to take action, which usually means seek shelter and then seek additional information,' meteorologist with the National Weather Service Fort Worth office Jennifer Dunn said. City of Lone Star warns citizens of storm recovery scams Dunn said the emergency alert notification through the NWS is sent mostly by email to local TV, radio stations and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 'When the text editor is launched, the system is also smart enough to put an initial guess of where that polygon box or that warning box should be. We hit send and it sends out the warning through multiple dissemination methods at this time,' Dunn said. FEMA then sends their alerts to county emergency management offices. 'The wireless emergency alerts through FEMA are using the weather service's warnings to disseminate and alert all of mobile devices within the warning polygon. They don't necessarily go off for every warning that we issue, but they go off for the higher end,' Dunn said. East Texas counties use the alert system called RAVE or 911 alerts, funded by the East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG). ETCOG has funded the program for 12 years from an $80,000 Homeland Security grant with their public safety division. People who live in the county are not required to sign up, but experts highly encourage it. 'Relying on the tornado sirens or the outdoor warning sirens should be essentially your last line of defense when it comes to knowing that there is bad weather moving into the area, especially with the technology that we have today,' Dunn said. Bowie, Cass, Morris counties declare local disaster after severe weather The National Weather Service encourages people to have several alert sources and to have multiple alert sources and have a go-bag ready just in case. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
