Vivi Koroma Kala, a marketing professional with 16 years of experience, was recently made redundant in July and has struggled to find new work despite applying for numerous roles. She has three children and says the redundancy money is running out. Recently, she applied for a position at a large bank and received a rejection email by Saturday morning. Another major organization’s hiring process, which included a five-part assessment, ultimately rejected her due to one question on a screening test. Vivi suspects that AI technology was involved in both rejections, pointing to the use of generic language and the speed of the responses as signs of automation. Vivi is concerned that the use of AI in hiring may unintentionally lead to discrimination. A study by People Like Us and Censuswide found that applicants from non-white backgrounds are more likely to be rejected and often within minutes of applying. These applicants also tend to apply for a third more roles than white applicants but are rejected more quickly. The study also found that 70% of non-white applicants remove elements of their identity from their CVs to avoid automated screening tools. Additionally, research from University College London (UCL) revealed that ethnic minority graduates from low socio-economic backgrounds are 45% less likely to be offered entry-level jobs compared to more advantaged white applicants. Personal experiences also highlight the potential bias in automated hiring systems. Sevjan Melissa Pem previously wrote about being repeatedly rejected for jobs until she used a more "socially acceptable, white-sounding middle name" on her CV, which led to more interview opportunities. Similarly, comedian Jenan Younis reported receiving more comedy bookings when using a "white-sounding" pseudonym. These accounts suggest that automated systems may be influenced by unconscious biases tied to names and other identity markers. In response to these challenges, Vivi has started her own consultancy project while freelancing. She also encourages job applicants to request human feedback if they believe they were rejected by an AI system. People Like Us has launched a campaign called "Reject the Rejections" to combat automated discrimination in UK hiring. The campaign offers a free email template for rejected candidates to ask for a human review of their applications, aiming to provide a fairer and more transparent hiring process.