A recent study conducted by University of Washington researchers explored how AI tools like ChatGPT may introduce bias when ranking resumes that include disability-related credentials. The researchers found that ChatGPT consistently ranked resumes with disability-related awards lower than identical resumes without such honors, reflecting ableist stereotypes, such as claiming people with autism are less capable of leadership.
When the tool was customized to avoid ableist biases, some improvements were seen in ranking resumes for disabilities like deafness and blindness, but the tool still displayed bias for other disabilities, such as autism and depression. This raises concerns about the fairness of using AI in hiring, especially for disabled candidates who may hesitate to include disability-related credentials due to potential bias.