Artificial intelligence is creating new challenges for employers trying to verify the identities of job applicants. A recent cybersecurity experiment demonstrated just how easily a convincing but entirely fictional candidate could make it through the hiring process, raising questions about how organizations verify the people they hire.
Jake Moore, a cybersecurity advisor at ESET, put this risk to the test by creating fictional; job applicants using readily available AI tools. His experiment involved generating professional profiles, resumes, identification documents, and realistic online personas. By using technology to alter his facial appearance and voice during video interviews, he was able to present himself as someone else.
The results were striking. One of his fictional identities advanced through multiple interview stages for a marketing position, passing 261 other job candidates, and landing the role. The companies involved had no reason to believe the candidate was not who she appeared to be.
The experiment highlighted a growing concern for employers: today’s hiring fraud may involve more than falsified resumes or inaccurate employment histories. AI can make it possible for someone to create an entirely fabricated identity and use it to pursue a real job.
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AI is Changing the Hiring Process
While AI can make identity fraud more sophisticated, background screening remains an important part of helping employers verify the identity of those they are hiring. Criminal history searches, employment and education verifications, and other relevant checks can help organizations evaluate a candidate’s background and qualifications.
However, the experiment also illustrates why employers should distinguish between verifying someone’s background and confirming their identity.
A background check evaluates information associated with an applicant, but it does not automatically establish that the person participating in a video interview is the same individual whose information was submitted for screening. If someone applies using a false or stolen identity, employers may face additional challenges ensuring that the information being reviewed belongs to the person they intend to hire.
This is particularly important as remote hiring becomes more common. When interviews, onboarding, and employment take place entirely online, employers may have fewer opportunities to meet applicants in person and independently confirm their identities.
The potential risks extend beyond making the wrong hiring decision. Depending on the position, a fraudulent hire could gain access to confidential information, internal systems, customer data, or other sensitive company resources.
Verifying Identity in the Age of AI
Employers can help address these risks by incorporating biometric identity verification into their hiring procedures alongside appropriate background screening. Verifying identity early in the process, validating government issued identification, and using facial recognition to confirm identity can add important safeguards before hiring. Biometric identity verification provides another way to help confirm that an applicant is a real person and matches the identity they claim. This can be especially valuable for organizations hiring for remote positions, where an in-person meeting may not be practical.
GIS’s biometric identity verification solution combines facial recognition, liveness detection, and government-issued ID verification to help organizations verify applicant identities. These measures add an additional layer of protection by helping employers assess whether the person completing the verification is a live individual and whether their facial features match the identification provided.
As AI technology continues to evolve, employers should not rely solely on how convincing a candidate appears during an interview. Combining background screening with identity verification can help organizations build a more thorough hiring process and reduce opportunities for identity related fraud.
When hiring remotely, knowing someone’s qualifications is important, but knowing who you’re hiring is essential.
Contact GIS to learn how background screening and biometric identity verification can help your organization build a more secure hiring process.