Does ChatGPT Alter Job Seekers’ Identity? An Experimental Study

Abstract

AI-driven solutions like ChatGPT, Bard, or LLaMA produce text that may be identified as if it was human-written.. While an employee can have different identities such as “being a dreamer” (personal identity), “being a manager” (role identity), or “being an Austrian” (social identity), they still may be threatened as one may feel substituted or augmented in their self-concept by AI. This study examines the impact of ChatGPT on job seekers' identity in the job selection process. A discrete choice experiment with 296 participants from the UK revealed that job seekers prefer vacancies aligning with their personal identity over social or role identities. They also favour vacancies requiring frequent ChatGPT utilisation. Yet, we did not find an interaction between identity and ChatGPT usage. The study provides insights for organisations to enhance their recruitment strategies and create inclusive work environments in the context of evolving AI technologies.