Too early to start Halloween posts?
AI is the latest Value Vampire™️. And should remind us how many we already have, even in hiring.
(I made that phrase up just now. Ask me anything.)
The Wall Street Journal published an article recently about how CIOs are being pressured into using generative AI. Even when it isn’t the best tool for the job. (Here.)
The reason? Well, how can you not? It’s the next big thing, didn’t you hear?
If you’re a technology leader answering to non-technology CEO and their non-technology board of directors – all of whom read every AI hype piece published – are you going to tell them it’s better for their stock price if they ignore it? And a spreadsheet works just fine? Good luck with that.
So you have your time and money sucked away for a “solution” that doesn’t really do anything (or sets you back.) Thus, Value Vampire™️.
This isn’t anything new. We’ve come to live with these tools, services and processes in every aspect of life.
The financial services industry has tons of services that ‘recommend’ stocks, ETFs and mutual funds. Not because they have any idea what any of these things are going to do. But because financial advisors, pension funds, etc., like to say “look, I did my due diligence, a 3rd party validated your investments. Not my fault your portfolio tanked.” You know, in case anyone wants to sue them.
The same thing exists in hiring. Cognitive and personality assessments are used in a variety of ways, ranging from “let’s not mess up this hire” to “let’s not actually talk to anyone.”
I’m kidding. Probably.
But there is a very real dynamic where no one remembers why a test was chosen or why a certain set of results is desirable. A decision was made, often for compliance purposes (read: cover your a$$ purposes), and no one really remembers why or bothered to fine tune anything along the way.
The computer told us this candidate is great and this one sucks, so it must be true.
And that’s not to say assessments or AI have zero value (unlike stock picking tools, which absolutely have zero value.)
But it does mean if you can’t explain what value it’s brought to your organization – confidently, in your own words, without having to curve fit data to justify it after the fact – you likely got duped by a Value Vampire™️.
Partner at Hirewell. #3 Ranked Sarcastic Commenter on LinkedIn.
