A TikToker’s job interview with an AI recruiter turned into a surreal experience when the bot glitched and repeated the phrase “vertical bar pilates” 14 times in 25 seconds. Posted by @its_ken04, the viral clip has reignited conversations about AI-powered hiring tools, with viewers criticizing the growing reliance on automation in job recruitment. The startup behind the platform, Apriora, claims AI interviews reduce anxiety, but for this candidate, it was a deeply unsettling and disqualifying experience.
"It was genuinely so creepy and weird," Ken wrote in the video's caption. "Please stop trying to be lazy and have AI try to do YOUR JOB!!! It gave me the creeps so bad."
AI hiring, but make it dystopian
According to an interview with 404 Media, the AI interview was part of a screening process for a job at a Stretch Lab location in Ohio. Ken said it was her first—and last—interview with the company. And it left her seriously shaken.
"I thought it was really creepy and I was freaked out," she told the outlet. "I was very shocked. I didn’t do anything to make it glitch so this was very surprising."
A Y Combinator-backed startup called Apriora developed the AI platform behind the glitchy interview. It boasts that it can help companies "Hire 87 percent faster" and "Interview 93 percent cheaper" by conducting simultaneous interviews using AI bot recruiters.
In a previous interview with Forbes, Apriora cofounder Aaron Wang claimed that many candidates actually prefer AI interviews, saying that the format reduces anxiety and helps applicants "perform at their best."
That may be true for some, but not for Ken. "I will just decline," she said bluntly. "If another company wants me to talk to AI, I’m not doing it again."
TikTok users call out the 'lazy' state of hiring
Ken’s experience struck a nerve on TikTok, where viewers flooded the comments with their takes on the state of tech-infused hiring practices. Many didn’t hold back.
"Literally what's the difference between Ai interviews and just filling out a questionnaire or something," one person wrote.
Another TikToker dealt with this in a recent interview, saying, "I applied to a job today that had an AI interview and immediately closed the window, cause if they’re not taking the time to interview me, I’m not taking the time to try to work [there]"
"This was the first meeting [with the company] ever," the TikToker told 404. "I guess I was supposed to earn my right to speak to a human."
Is this the future of work? Or just a deeply flawed detour?
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