An AI system is used to aid in an applicant selection process. The users of the system, however, have no information about which criteria are used to evaluate applicants. Which ethical concern is associated with this issue?
This scenario highlights a critical failure inTransparency. When an AI system acts as a "gatekeeper" for life-changing opportunities—such as employment, university admissions, or bank loans—it is an ethical imperative that the criteria for selection be disclosed. If the users (the hiring managers or the applicants) do not know which variables the AI is prioritizing (e.g., years of experience, specific keywords, or even zip codes), the system is effectively a "Black Box."
The lack of transparency here creates several downstream risks. First, it makes it impossible to verify if the system is actually being "Fair." If the criteria are hidden, the AI could be using proxy variables that result in illegal discrimination without anyone noticing. Second, it undermines "Accountability," as a rejected applicant has no way to challenge the decision or understand what they need to improve. In professional prompt engineering, this issue is addressed by designing prompts that require the AI to generate an "Evaluation Report" alongside its selection, detailing which parts of the resume matched the job description. This transforms the automated process from an opaque hurdle into a transparent, auditable tool.
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