AI ethics in recruitment and employee performance evaluation
Published: August 3, 2026
doi:10.62831/nckh.2026.374.v1
Abstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing rapidly and driving profound transformations in modern human resource management, particularly in recruitment and employee performance appraisal. AI enables organizations to automate recruitment procedures, process large-scale data, analyze candidate behavior, and support faster and more data-driven HR decision-making. However, its application also raises significant ethical concerns, including algorithmic bias, limited transparency, privacy infringement, and the risk of workplace discrimination. Using a literature review approach, this study examines the ethical dimensions of AI adoption in recruitment and performance appraisal. The findings indicate that although AI offers substantial opportunities to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of human resource management, it may also threaten fairness and social responsibility if appropriate governance and control mechanisms are absent. Based on these insights, the study proposes principles for developing ethical AI systems in human resource management, with the aim of ensuring transparency, fairness, accountability, and human-centered practices in organizational operations.
Acikgoz, Y., Davison, K. H., Compagnone, M., & Laske, M. (2020). Justice perceptions of artificial intelligence in selection. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 28, 399-416. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsa.12306
Alder, G. S., & Gilbert, J. (2006). Achieving ethics and fairness in hiring: Going beyond the law. Journal of Business Ethics, 68, 449-464. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-006-9039-z
Bartneck, C., Luetge, C., Wagner, A., & Welsh, S. (2021). An introduction to ethics in robotics and AI. Springer.
5.
Buolamwini, J., & Gebru, T. (2018). Gender shades: Intersectional accuracy disparities in commercial gender classification. In Conference on Fairness, Accountability and Transparency (pp. 1-15). ACM.
6.
Dwork, C., Hardt, M., Pitassi, T., & Reingold, O. (2012). Fairness through awareness. In 3rd Innovations in Theoretical Computer Science Conference (pp. 214-226).
7.
Floridi, L., Cowls, J., Beltrametti, M., Chatila, R., Chazerand, P., Dignum, V., et al. (2018). AI4People-An ethical framework for a good AI society. Minds and Machines, 28, 689-707. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11023-018-9482-5
Kaplan, A., & Haenlein, M. (2019). Siri, Siri, in my hand: Who’s the fairest in the land? Business Horizons, 62, 15-25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2018.08.004
Köchling, A., Riazy, S., Wehner, M. C., & Simbeck, K. (2020). Highly accurate, but still discriminatory. Business & Information Systems Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-020-00673-w
Leicht-Deobald, U., Busch, T., Schank, C., Weibel, A., Schafheitle, S., Wildhaber, I..(2019). The challenges of algorithm-based HR decision-making for personal integrity. Journal of Business Ethics, 160, 377-392. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-019-04204-w
Martin, K. (2018). Ethical implications and accountability of algorithms. Journal of Business Ethics, 160, 835-850. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-3921-3
Newman, D. T., Fast, N. J., & Harmon, D. J. (2020). When eliminating bias isn’t fair. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 160, 149–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2020.03.008
Nissenbaum, H. (2009). Privacy in context: Technology, policy, and the integrity of social life. Stanford University Press.
16.
Oswald, F. L., Behrend, T. S., Putka, D. J., & Sinar, E. (2020). Big data in industrial-organizational psychology and human resource management. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 7, 505-533. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032117-104553
Raghavan, M., Barocas, S., Kleinberg, J., & Levy, K. (2020). Mitigating bias in algorithmic hiring. In Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency.
18.
Schumann, C., Foster, J. S., Mattei, N., & Dickerson, J. P. (2020). We need fairness and explainability in algorithmic hiring. In AAMAS 2020.
19.
Suen, H.-Y., Chen, M. Y.-C., & Lu, S.-H. (2019). Does the use of synchrony and artificial intelligence in video interviews affect interview ratings and applicant attitudes? Computers in Human Behavior, 98, 93-101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.04.012
Tambe, P., Cappelli, P., & Yakubovich, V. (2019). Artificial intelligence in human resources management. California Management Review, 61, 15-42. https://doi.org/10.1177/0008125619867910
Van Nhan, N., Venessa, N., & Vincent, T. (2025). Artificial intelligence in human resource management and marketing: Opportunities, challenges and ethics. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15269224
Woods, S. A., Ahmed, S., Nikolaou, I., Costa, A. C., & Anderson, N. R. (2020). Personnel selection in the digital age. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 29, 64-77. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2019.1681401