Anthropic: AI company bans AI-written job applications

The American AI company Anthropic is asking jobseekers in its job advertisements to refrain from using artificial intelligence in their applications. The majority of job applications currently contain a request to this effect. These are positions in the areas of software development, finance, communication and sales.

Anthropic wants to test communication skills

Technical positions such as "mobile product designer" are occasionally excluded from this, as the tech magazine 404 Media reports. Specifically, the job advertisements state that the company encourages applicants to use artificial intelligence in the advertised position to do their work faster and more effectively. During the application process, however, Anthropic asks that applicants refrain from using AI assistants. "We want to understand your personal interest in Anthropic without AI mediation and evaluate your non-AI communication skills," Anthropic explains.

Applicants must confirm that they have read and understood this requirement. Applicants are then asked to write an essay explaining why they want to work at Anthropic. The company recommends a length of 200 to 400 words. However, there appears to be no doubt about the ability of AI behind the requirement for a human-written motivational essay. Anthropic founder Dario Amodei has at least already let slip his view that AI could surpass humanity in almost everything in just a few years. In addition, the use of large language models such as Anthropic Claude should also reduce the need for jobs in programming and communication.

Mixed experiences with AI applications

According to a survey by market research company Bilendi & Respondi, 17% of Germans have already had a job application letter created by AI. Around half of them had a positive experience, while the other half had a rather negative one. For letters of motivation, 14 percent of applicants used generative AI; 13 percent used it to write a CV. Here, too, there were mixed impressions. More than 40 percent of respondents want to use AI in the application process in the future.

Employers are rather reluctant to use artificial intelligence. According to the Index Recruiting Report, 17% of the companies surveyed use AI to optimize job advertisements. A further 19 percent are planning to do so. Only three percent of companies use AI to analyze application documents, while a further eight percent are planning to do so. Only one percent of companies use AI for application tests and interviews.

(sfe)