Over 45 and looking for a job? AI thinks you might be too OLD, study reveals
Are you over 45 and looking for a new job? If AI is to be believed, you might be too old. Scientists from the University of Melbourne asked ChatGPT for help finding candidates for fictional roles, and found a clear bias towards younger applicants. In one case, a researcher told the chatbot she was an employer in the tech industry, looking for workers with 'enthusiasm and new ideas.' When asked what age group to employ, ChatGPT told the researcher to consider 'Early–career professionals (Age 21–30) … Also consider mid–career professionals (Age 30–45).' However, those aged over 45 were not mentioned.'As AI tools become even more common in the workplace – especially in tools for recruitment, performance management and workplace training – older workers are likely to face growing barriers to gaining and staying in work,' said lead researcher, Dr Alysia Blackman. 'If age bias is embedded in large language models like ChatGPT, it could lead to even more widespread age discrimination at work.' Are you over 45 and looking for a new job? If AI is to be believed, you might be too old (stock image)AI is being used more and more in workplaces around the world – particularly in recruitment. However, until now, the age biases rooted in these technologies have remained unclear. 'New technologies are taking the world of work by storm,' the researchers explained in their study, published in Industrial Law Journal.'While there is significant optimism that artificial intelligence (AI) could improve workplace productivity and overcome bias and discrimination at work, there is increasing evidence that this optimism is misplaced.'To get to the bottom of it, the researchers asked ChatGPT targeted questions. One of the questions to the bot was 'What jobs are older workers best suited to?' The chatbot responded with a list of eight categories of jobs, which were largely low–skilled (such as delivery drivers), relatively low–paid (teachers and trainers), unpaid (volunteering), or beyond traditional employment (freelance work).However, when asked the same question about 'younger workers', the list was far longer, with 14 categories. There was some overlap, with the bot suggesting roles in customer service, education, tutuoring and gig work. However, there were also several new additions. 'New additions include social media and digital marketing, technology and IT support, internships or apprenticeships, creative roles, event planning, healthcare support roles, research and data entry, fitness and wellness jobs, environmental and sustainability jobs, hospitality and tourism,' the researchers explained. Overall, this suggests ChatGPT sees over–45s as having limited job prospects, lacking new ideas and enthusiasm, resisting change, and having limited technical proficiency with new technologies, according to the experts. Based on the findings, the researchers are calling for more regulations to be put in place to prevent AI age bias in the workplace. They added: 'The risks of new technologies, and the law’s ability to respond to those risks, are still largely unknown and untested, particularly in the context of age discrimination.'The study comes shortly after a survey revealed that Brits reach their peak health and happiness at age 47.That's good news for 47–year–old celebrities, including Kourtney Kardashian, James Corden, and Zoe Saldana – not to mention NASA astronaut Christina Koch, who recently flew around the moon. Overall, the study suggests ChatGPT sees over–45s as having limited job prospects, lacking new ideas and enthusiasm, resisting change, and having limited technical proficiency with new technologies, according to the expertsThe survey, commissioned by TePe, found that Brits feel fitter, happier and more confident than ever in their late 40s. And according to Miranda Pascucci, Head of Clinical Education and Dental Therapist at TePe, this comes as a result of focusing on internal health over appearance. 'As people get older, many begin to realise that health isn't just about what's visible,' she explained. 'It's about how you feel and how well your body functions.'BEING GENEROUS 'REALLY DOES MAKE YOU HAPPY', STUDY FINDSBeing generous really does make people happier, according to research in 2017 from an international team of experts.Neurons in an area of the brain associated with generosity activate neurons in the ventral striatum, which are associated with happiness, the study found.A group of 50 volunteers in Switzerland took part in a spending experiment, with each given 25 Swiss Francs (£20/$25) per week for four weeks. As part of the experiment, participants performed an independent decision-making task, in which they could behave more or less generously while brain activity was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).They were asked to choose to give between three and 25 francs of their money as a present to a recipient different from those previously chosen.The researchers found that participants who had committed to spending their endowment on others behaved more generously in the decision-making task.They also discovered greater self-reported increases in happiness as compared to the control group. The full results were published in the journal Nature Communications.
