What It Felt Like to Be Interviewed by an AI Assistant

Summary

Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen recounts being interviewed by an AI assistant after applying for a preschool education role in Australia. She had expected a conventional interview, but encountered a disembodied voice and a video window showing only herself. When she paused to think about a difficult question, the system disconnected her, forcing her to restart. At the end, the assistant answered her questions by repeating information from the job advertisement and directed any clarification to a manager, while saying the company would review her video. Colleagues in early-childhood forums reacted with shock, and Nguyen argues that automating recruitment for work centred on caring for and educating children is demeaning and potentially negligent, particularly during Australia’s childcare crisis. She also noticed AI-generated images of educators on the organisation’s website and wondered whether the process signalled a broader erosion of human labour. She withdrew her application and explained why, but says that more than a month later she had received no response or acknowledgment from the organisation.