Job seekers in all fields can count on to quickly be doing much more preliminary screening interviews. Whereas that will sound like optimistic information, it doesn’t imply that there’ll all of a sudden be extra open positions.

As a substitute, recruiters, usually slowed down with figuring out which candidates are certified for the subsequent spherical, will outsource the routine screening duties — like checking backgrounds, wage wants, and availability — to (you guessed it) AI.

Alex, a startup constructing an AI recruiter, says it’s already serving to corporations conduct video interviews and cellphone screens.

Aaron Wang (pictured heart, backside row), who co-founded Alex about 18 months in the past, advised TechCrunch that the startup’s voice AI software can conduct autonomous interviews with candidates quickly after they apply for a job. “Our AI recruiter does 1000’s of interviews a day and helps individuals get employed at a few of the greatest corporations on this planet,” he stated.

Though Wang, who beforehand labored at Fb and hung out as a quant for a hedge fund, declined to call prospects, he stated they embrace Fortune 100 corporations, monetary establishments, nationwide restaurant chains, and Massive 4 accounting corporations.

Buyers view the rise of AI interviewers as a pattern that many corporations will inevitably undertake. That conviction led to Alex’s new $17 million Collection A spherical, which was led by Peak XV Companions. The spherical included participation from Y Combinator and Uncorrelated Ventures, together with a number of chief human assets officers (CHROs) from unnamed Fortune 500 corporations, and others. This Collection A follows the corporate’s $3 million seed funding, which was led by 1984 Ventures final 12 months.

Alex isn’t alone in providing AI recruiting companies to corporations. The startup’s rivals embrace different early-stage corporations like HeyMilo, ConverzAI, and Ribbon.

Mercor, the quickly rising AI knowledge labeling startup that we reported is trying to boost a brand new spherical at a $10 billion valuation, additionally began its life as an AI recruiter.

Alex’s long-term imaginative and prescient is to interview hundreds of thousands of job candidates to construct skilled profile knowledge that’s richer and deeper than what LinkedIn at present affords.

“Our thesis is {that a} 10-minute dialog with you tells me a complete lot extra about you than your LinkedIn profile does,” Wang stated.

However for now, Alex is targeted on serving to recruiters unencumber their time to construct relationships with pre-qualified candidates and advising hiring managers.