"Personality assessments are an accepted part of recruitment processes. … Yet previous research suggests that personality types can be encoded in facial features, and that artificial intelligence (AI) can spot them."
Although "it's not obvious what the AI is seeing," if this is true, then it raises the interesting question of whether it should be allowed:
"If your face could tell a prospective employer something [about your probable performance at work], without discriminating on grounds of protected characteristics, then firms would have a strong incentive to analyze it."
The article makes a compelling case that subjective assessments made on physical characteristics already happen naturally:
"There is a height premium in hiring, for example, which makes it more likely that a taller person will get chosen than a shorter one. Some might argue that face-based analysis is more meritocratic than processes which reward, say, educational attainment. [Researchers] are now looking at whether AI facial analysis can give lenders useful clues about a person's propensity to repay loans. For people without access to credit, that could be a blessing."
There are also plenty of causes for concern that revolve around perceptions of fairness and the ability of someone to overcome any natural 'disadvantages' to become a productive colleague. There is also the concern that "aggregate patterns do not tell you how an individual will perform." Nevertheless, the article provides another glimpse into what is coming our way, whether we like it or not.
Take care
David
David Chandler
Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Sustainable Value Creation (6e)
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Face off
By Bartleby
November 8, 2025
The Economist
Late Edition – Final
64
