AI Guidelines in Our Interview Process

Last updated: June 10, 2025

At Carbon Direct, we embrace the responsible and transparent use of artificial intelligence ("AI") tools. We aim to make the recruitment experience efficient, inclusive, and human-centered.

This page outlines how Carbon Direct utilizes AI tools in the recruitment and hiring process, and how we encourage candidates to engage with these tools thoughtfully and ethically.

How We Use AI in Our Recruitment Process

We believe that AI can enhance, but not replace, human judgment. Here are the ways we incorporate AI tools to support a thoughtful and fair hiring experience:

Content Support and Communication

Our recruitment team may use AI writing assistants (e.g., Grammarly, ChatGPT) to help draft job descriptions and interview plans. These tools improve clarity and reduce bias, but our team reviews, customizes, and approves all messages.

BrightHire Interview Recordings

We use BrightHire, a platform that records live interviews to promote equitable, consistent evaluation. BrightHire allows interviewers to focus on the conversation, provides a transcript for reflection, and supports structured, criteria-based assessments. Recordings are used only for internal review, not automated decision-making.

Important Notes on BrightHire:

  • Candidates are notified in writing via email in advance of the interview that it may be recorded. Participation is optional; candidates may request that the interview proceed without recording, and such requests will be honored without prejudice to their application.

  • Only interviewers and relevant hiring team members have access to recordings.

  • We believe that the use of BrightHire helps us improve fairness, reduce interviewer bias, and ensure consistency across candidates.

Data Privacy and Retention

Interviews are used exclusively for internal evaluation and are not used for automated decision-making. Carbon Direct deletes all interview recordings within a reasonable time after the hiring process for that role concludes. Candidates may request access to or deletion of their recording by contacting people@carbon-direct.com or by connecting with their Carbon Direct recruiter.

How We Expect Candidates to Use AI

We understand that candidates increasingly use AI tools to support their job search and interview preparation. We welcome this when done transparently and ethically.

Acceptable Uses of AI:

  • Enhancing resumes or cover letters with AI tools.

  • Practicing interview questions or researching Carbon Direct and its business activities using AI.

  • Structuring application materials with AI tools, as long as they are reviewed and personalized by the candidate.

Uses We Discourage:

  • Submitting completely AI-generated application responses; submissions should reflect the candidate's real experiences or perspective.

  • Using AI during live interviews (e.g., typing prompts in real-time for answers), unless the interview is specifically intended to showcase effective use of AI tools on the job.

  • Misrepresenting skills or work by wholly outsourcing take-home assignments or assessments to AI tools.

Carbon Direct wants to understand each candidate's individual skills, experiences, and values, rather than the output of AI. 

Our Commitment to Fairness and Inclusion

Carbon Direct is deeply committed to equity in hiring. While we use tools to reduce bias and promote equitable evaluations, no system is perfect. We rigorously evaluate these systems (including BrightHire and other AI-powered platforms) to ensure they support fair, consistent, and inclusive processes. 

  • We do not use AI to make final hiring decisions.

  • We do not use facial recognition, automated scoring, or surveillance-based tools.

  • We use AI only where it supports a fair, respectful, and effective hiring process, including improving equity, enhancing candidate experience, reducing bias, evaluating qualifications, saving time, or capturing better notes.

  • We do not retain candidate personal information in AI tools longer than necessary. We understand concerns about cross-company profiling and do not use AI in ways that track or profile candidates across job postings.

  • AI is not used to automatically reject resumes. Its role is limited to surfacing relevant qualifications, not screening out candidates.