Tim Millard assumed his job interview would be conducted by human beings when he received an email in January. Instead, the Atlanta-based communications and marketing expert was instructed to record himself answering questions on camera during his late-night vigil.

This experience marked a trend reshaping modern recruitment: automated video interviews and AI have become more common, with a significant number of these interviews taking place between 10 pm and 2 am. For instance, 24% of companies using Ribbon's voice-AI recruitment software conduct their interviews outside conventional hours.

Millard's late-night interview is part of this growing trend, but it has raised concerns among job seekers. Nearly two-thirds of candidates have been interviewed by an AI agent in the past six months, with many expressing reservations about the process. Thirty-eight percent of American candidates told Greenhouse that they had withdrawn from a hiring process rather than be interviewed by an AI.

Transparency remains a major issue for job seekers, as they worry about being rejected based on factors like failing to use specific buzzwords. However, Ophir Samson at Greenhouse sees the AI interview as a tool to help identify high-scoring candidates among thousands of applications, increasing the chances of speaking with a human interviewer in subsequent rounds.

Millard's experience has been emotionally draining and inspiring. His one-man show, After Careful Consideration, debuted at the Atlanta Fringe Festival in May, reflecting on his job search journey.