McKinsey & Company is testing an AI-powered client simulation in interviews for some entry-level business-analyst roles. Candidates will have a 10-minute conversation with a simulated client, a scenario the firm says reflects about 80% of the situations consultants encounter in their daily work. The simulation is not designed to present an 'unhinged client,' according to The Wall Street Journal, as reported by The Verge.
The AI will not grade the candidates. Instead, human assessors will be present to watch the interaction and judge how well applicants handle the simulated scenario. The pilot is set for this fall and will be offered to undergraduates in some North American offices; The Wall Street Journal reports that hundreds of candidates may take part.
McKinsey is not alone in this experiment. Other companies are also developing AI avatars for job interviews, according to The Verge. The move is part of a broader push to incorporate AI into hiring, though in this case the technology serves as a practice environment rather than a decision-maker.