- 64% of Brits reject the use of AI to filter job applications, according to a new YouGov poll
- Meanwhile, 70% would prefer a face-to-face interview over one conducted over a video call
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham shared his thoughts on current hiring practices on the Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future podcast
Over two thirds of people prefer face-to-face interviews to video calls, and AI job application screening is considered “unacceptable” by 64% of polled Brits, a poll from YouGov has found, seemingly backing up recent comments by British Prime Minister Andy Burnham concerning changes to popular hiring processes since the pandemic.
While 30% of middle class households consider it acceptable to use AI to filter applicants, this figure is much lower in working class homes at 20%.
This overall reject of modernized application and interviewing practices comes at a time when feelings about the use of AI are becoming increasingly polarized for all but the most mundane of tasks.
Britain’s new PM weighs in
YouGov’s poll report includes a quote from new Prime Minister Andy Burnham: “AI in terms of CVs and sifting of applications. It doesn’t feel to me that recruitment in the post-pandemic era is becoming fairer.”
Since taking office, Andy Burnham has barely been out of the public eye, and has made various appearances, whether press conferences, TikTok, or podcasts.
His reaction to the polling can be contextualized in light of his appearance on careers podcast Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future, stating, “One thing I really don’t like is this culture now of interviewing via Zoom or Teams. How does a young person shine in that situation?”
“It seems to me to then work against people who have that side to their character and work for those who are just giving the more formulaic answer.
The end of AI job application filtering?
The YouGov poll picked a sizable sample of 4926 adults in Great Britain, with the questions issued on July 30, 2026. Of particular interest is the lack of any notable difference in the results concerning interviews across different regions. In London, the score is 60% in favor of face-to-face; for the rest of the south it is 73%, 69% in the Midlands, in Wales, and in the North, and 73% in Scotland.
If candidates feel more comfortable with face-to-face interviews, Burnham’s words may well have some impact on hiring practices in the future.
The Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s Maxine Bligh told the BBC that “The key message from us to recruiters is to go digital where it matters and human where it counts.
“AI tools are helpful, even essential, when dealing with a huge volume of applications, but it takes skill and professionalism to make the right call.”
Whether the right person was ever hired by AI remains to be seen, but making candidates comfortable and able to communicate at their best seems to require people, rather than machines.
