Recruitment team unwittingly recommends ChatGPT for job interview

Since its release back in November, the internet at large has been putting the impressive language model through its paces to see just how flexible and human-like it can be.

With little more than a short prompt, the bot has had a go at everything from writing articles to solving PC problems, putting the fear of potential redundancy into copywriters, customer support staff and beyond.

But one business owner decided to get ahead of that particular game, involving the ever-improving software in his company's hiring process to get an idea of just how worried he should be.

It ended up getting shortlisted for an interview.

The application

Like the human candidates, ChatGPT was given a writing brief: "In 300 words, tell us the secret of good writing."

It was going for a job at the communications consultancy firm Schwa, which was looking to vet applicants based on whether they could craft some thoughtful, punchy, attention-grabbing prose.

ChatGPT spat out an answer in no time, stressing that behind all good writing is the ability to "tell a good story".

With submissions divorced from any names and CVs when evaluated by staff, they were left ignorant as to the involvement of a robot applicant.

Less than 20% of applicants were shortlisted for consideration - and ChatGPT was one of those few that made it to owner and founder Neil Taylor's desk.

"It was more competent than a lot of the bad people who apply to us," he told Sky News.

"Given what we have to do is write things that stand out and get attention, I thought that was a real test."

-sky news