Fall is Chipotle’s second-largest hiring period of the year, and the fast-casual chain is bringing in new artificial intelligence to help.
The Newport Beach, California-based chain said Tuesday it is partnering with tech firm Paradox to make hiring more efficient, reducing the amount of time it takes to hire a worker by as much as 75%.
The Paradox platform, which Chipotle has dubbed “Ava Cado,” uses conversational AI to collect basic information from candidates and schedule interviews. It can also send offers to those who are selected by managers.
That frees up time for general managers so they can focus on day-to-day operations, Chipotle said.
The recruiting system also reduces job advertising costs, helps find candidates for hard-to-fill roles, and the company said it also improves the candidate experience.
Ava Cado—which should not be confused with Chipotle’s AI-fueled avocado-peeling equipment known as Autocado—is also multi-lingual, and can communicate in English, Spanish, French and German.
The Paradox platform is being phased in across the more than 3,500-unit chain’s system, with the goal of completion this month.
Chipotle is gunning to reach 7,000 locations in North America, which means there is a lot of hiring to do.
“Paradox operates as if we’ve hired additional administrative support for all our restaurants, freeing up more time for managers to support team members and provide an exceptional guest experience,” said Ilene Eskenazi, Chipotle’s chief resources officer, in a statement. “We’re excited about the early improvements we’re seeing.”
Chatbots have long been seen as a potential tool for human resources, giving companies the ability to connect with job applicants quickly. Some proponents contend the bots can assess candidates without discrimination because the technology lacks some of the unconscious biases that humans have.
Others, however, warn that employers need to ensure their use of artificial intelligence in hiring does not include unintentional barriers, especially for disabled workers. The U.S. Department of Labor last month issued a “AI & Inclusive Hiring Framework” with guidelines and best practices for deploying the technology for hiring.
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