Exploring Cultural Differences in AI-Based Interviews: Innovativeness and Justice Perceptions Among Job Applicants in the United States and South Korea

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is rapidly integrated into the recruiting process across cultures. However, the extent to which job applicants' responses to AI-based recruitment vary across cultures remains unexplored. To address this gap, we conducted a cross-cultural examination on job applicants' perceptions of justice and innovativeness of AI-based interviews, focusing on American and South Korean cultures. Using scenario experiments, we found that Americans generally perceived AI-based interviews as less fair than human-based interviews regarding job relatedness, chance to perform, and two-way communication. In contrast, Koreans showed little difference in justice perceptions between AI-based and human-based interviews, and they even perceived AI-based interviews as fairer in certain justice dimensions, such as the chance to perform. Both American and Korean participants regarded AI-based interviews as more innovative than human-based interviews. Additionally, we found that Americans' lower perceptions of justice, such as job relatedness and two-way communication, accounted for the negative impact of AI-based interviews on organizational attractiveness. However, Koreans' higher perceptions of the chance to perform and innovativeness led to higher organizational attractiveness in AI-based interviews compared to that in human-based interviews. Our findings underscore the pivotal role of culture in understanding job applicants' responses toward AI-based interviews. Based on these findings, we discuss implications, limitations, and future suggestions.