The Algorithm Age

Lumier Rodriguez flipped on the “open to work” setting on the professional social network LinkedIn to show that she was actively looking for contract work in April. She thought she’d instantly get responses from recruiters. She was met with silence. So she started actively applying to jobs. But rather than hear back from human recruiters, she received emails, calls and texts from artificial intelligence agents called virtual recruiters seeking interviews. By late June, she had been screened over the phone and via video by AI four times, leaving her to wonder: “Where are all the people?” “It felt a little bit like when you have a blind date and you don’t get enough information before going,” said Rodriguez, a Central Florida resident. “You don’t want to be rude and hang up … but I also felt catfished a little bit.” Increasingly, job candidates are running into virtual recruiters for screenings. The conversational agents, built on large language models, help recruiting fir...

Lumier Rodriguez flipped on the “open to work” setting on the professional social network LinkedIn to show that she was actively looking for contract work in April. She thought she’d instantly get responses from recruiters. She was met with silence. So she started actively applying to jobs. But rather than hear back from human recruiters, she received emails, calls and texts from artificial intelligence agents called virtual recruiters seeking interviews. By late June, she had been screened over the phone and via video by AI four times, leaving her to wonder: “Where are all the people?” “It felt a little bit like when you have a blind date and you don’t get enough information before going,” said Rodriguez, a Central Florida resident. “You don’t want to be rude and hang up … but I also felt catfished a little bit.” Increasingly, job candidates are running into virtual recruiters for screenings. The conversational agents, built on large language models, help recruiting fir...

Amid heated public debates over the growing use of artificial intelligence in everyday life, the Latin Grammy-winning pop star Camilo warns humanity against an over-reliance on one particular AI platform: ChatGPT. On June 25, the Colombian singer-songwriter released the Trooko-produced electro-pop single, “Maldito ChatGPT,” which playfully critiques the role of artificial intelligence in human affairs. In his lyrics, he consults the ChatGPT bot for advice on how to resolve his relationship woes. “You're not for me, that's what ChatGPT told me, it knows me better than I know myself.” The new music video — directed by Camilo’s spouse, Evaluna Montaner, and Sebastian Andrade — is just as critical of this “smart” technology. Set in a dimly-lit office with Post-it notes and paper scattered about the cubical, the visuals pay homage to the aesthetics of the 1999 cult comedy film “Office Space.” Camilo, dressed in full office wear (save for his feet) agonizes over his...