A reporter used AI to apply to 2,843 jobs | TechCrunch

AI is spamming up job applications. 404 Media’s Jason Koebler writes about how he used a free tool, AI Hawk, to apply for 17 jobs in an hour while working a restaurant shift — only stopping when he’d reached 2,843.

The tool automatically entered Koebler’s bio info, generated resumes, wrote customized cover letters, and checked all the necessary (and literal) boxes before filing the paperwork on his behalf.

AI Hawk is one of many AI job-applying tools out there — and they’re contributing to a bizarre loop, Koebler writes, where humans have essentially been removed from the job application and hiring process. An increasing number of companies use AI software to review — and even interview — candidates. In fact, 42% of companies in a 2023 survey admitted using AI screening tools.

As Koebler writes, the effects on candidates filling out applications the old-fashioned way aren’t yet clear.