133149IRIS (Improving Recruitment, Interviewing and Selection)ClosedStudyInnovate UKThe way that UK business recruit and select staff is outdated and inefficient. By using technology to dramatically improve the process, we can solve the structural problems that contribute to an unequal system. Current recruitment practices, amongst other things, (i) discriminate against regional hiring by favouring geographic centralisation (in major cities) at a time when remote working is widely accepted, (ii) favours traditional working hours when flexible working should provide opportunities to skilled individuals requiring a different arrangement (disabled people, professional mothers) (iii) perpetuates biases built into the system leading to less diverse teams (unconscious bias), (iv) for SME’s, lessen the cost of wrong hiring decisions - improved hiring and reduction in attrition benefits small businesses. The purpose of this project is to create a new solution driven by emerging technology (AI & chat bot) that is proven to be more effective at selection (structured assessments, online behavioural tests) but unless it retains a human element underpinned by good design, hiring managers are not going to be reluctant to “outsource” human judgment to a machine.