User Reaction to AI Interview: Focusing on Emotion and Intentions Expressed in an Online Community

Abstract

AI interviews are widely expanding as the need for transparent processes in hiring employees increases and in-person interviews shrink due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The current study examined how people respond to AI interviews and whether their responses change over time, using data from Blind, a Korean online community for workers, where users share information and opinions related to the company they work for. We collected a total of 263 posts and 1,832 comments on the subject of ‘AI interview’ and classified them into the emotional expressions and intentions of posts. The results revealed that the majority of the posts expressed negative emotions rather than positive ones. The negative emotions were expressed mostly toward self or the AI interviewer, the hiring company, or the AI interview solution company. Furthermore, posts and comments not revealing emotions were requesting or sharing information. It is also found that posts expressing negative emotions were likely to receive supportive comments whereas informative posts were likely to garner sneering comments. To sum up, users appreciate fully the online social platform to reduce uncertainty and mitigate any negative feelings from the unexperienced technological challenge.