Chipotle: AI Hiring Platform Cuts Hiring Time by 75%

An artificial intelligence hiring platform has reportedly cut hiring time at Chipotle by 75%.

The quick-service restaurant chain has been using the platform — which was built by recruiting software firm Paradox and dubbed “Ava Cado” by Chiptole — for a year, CNBC reported Friday (June 13).

“This not only helps us keep our restaurant staffed, but ensures we have the best talent that’s available in the industry,” Chipotle CEO Scott Boatwright told Fortune in an interview posted Monday (June 9), according to the CNBC report.

Twenty-five percent of U.S. companies use AI tools to perform tasks related to human resources (HR), the report said, citing data from the Society of Human Resource Management.

This technology enables companies to automate repetitive tasks and provide instant answers to job seekers’ frequently asked questions, according to the CNBC report.

At the same time, AI could leave a bad impression with candidates who had hoped to talk with a recruiter and could create a cybersecurity risk when companies store or transmit job candidates’ data, per the report.

When Chipotle announced in October that it was rolling out the AI hiring platform to its 3,500 restaurants, the company said the system would free its restaurants’ general managers from spending time on collecting candidates’ basic information, scheduling interviews and other administrative tasks.

“Paradox operates as if we’ve hired additional administrative support for all our restaurants, freeing up more time for managers to support team members and provide an exceptional guest experience,” Chipotle Chief Human Resources Officer Ilene Eskenazi said at the time in a press release.

When Paradox announced its acquisition of people analytics platform Eqtble in February, Paradox CEO Adam Godson said that “AI is the future of talent acquisition.”

“We’ve always believed that conversations are the UI of the future, and we see an opportunity to create a data foundation that powers people intelligence in a conversational, frictionless way,” Godson said at the time in a press release.

Many experts see AI as a valuable tool for employers that could lead to faster hiring processes and potentially reduced costs in talent acquisition, PYMNTS reported in August.

“Recruiters use AI-based HR tech to find the best candidates, and job seekers can benefit too,” Cliff Jurkiewicz, vice president of global strategy at Phenom, told PYMNTS at the time.