Curated Intel from the Talent Tech Industry
June 3-9, 2024:
• Fueling the big mo: Ashby raises $30M in Series C for further ATS development and expansion;
• Pushing back on bias-free claim: ACLU asks FTC to probe AON AI employment assessment tools;
• Avoiding copyright infringement: Human Native AI, licensed data marketplace, raises £2.8m;
• Hearing from the inside: Employees of OpenAI & other developers warn of “human extinction;”
• Helping cross border gigging: Omnipresent launches global contractor management solution.
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Ashby Announces $30M Series C
Ashby, a recruiting platform that efficiently scales hiring from startup through enterprise, has raised an additional $30 million in equity financing. This round of funding comes with a vote of confidence from existing investors following a 6X growth in revenue. Lachy Groom, who also led Ashby's seed round led the Series C with participation from Elad Gil, F-Prime, Y Combinator, and existing Ashby customers. To date, the company has raised roughly $70M. This latest round of financing will enable Ashby to continue its rapid pace of product development and enterprise expansion.
ACLU asks FTC to probe Aon AI employment assessment tools for bias
The organization also wants the agency to block the company from making allegedly deceptive claims in its marketing and to pause the sale of the tests. AI-based tools that are used millions of times a year by organizations worldwide to screen job candidates have a built-in bias against people with autism and other disabilities and also discriminate by race, the American Civil Liberties Union says in a complaint filed May 30 with the Federal Trade Commission. “Aon falsely claims that its assessments are bias-free, and yet its assessments carry an unacceptably high risk of screening people out based on who they are and not whether they can do the job, particularly on the basis of race or disabilities,” says Olga Akselrod, an ACLU senior attorney.
Licensed AI data marketplace startup raises £2.8m
Human Native AI, a London startup offering what it describes as legal and ethical data for tech firms to train large language models, has raised £2.8m. Founded in 2024, Human Native AI is aiming to solve the growing concern that many AI models unfairly use copyrighted data in the training phase. As a nascent technology, the legality of using copyrighted art, music, photographs, writing and more to train generative AI models remains a hotly contested point. Some firms, such as London’s Stability AI, have argued generative AI outputs are transformative and therefore using copyrighted data falls under existing fair use laws. Others, including a former VP at Stability, claim AI models using data without the owners’ consent are effectively stealing and profiting off of other people’s work. Human Native AI hopes to circumvent this problem with a marketplace of licensed content that developers can purchase to train their models.
Experts warn of ‘human extinction’ if risks of AI ignored
Some current and former employees of artificial intelligence firms are calling on their employers to allow staff to air concerns about AI without facing retaliation. In an open letter, employees of Open AI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic said the workforces of AI firms are among the few people who can hold their employers accountable to the public. "Yet broad confidentiality agreements block us from voicing our concerns, except to the very companies that may be failing to address these issues," the letter reads. And even then, they have concerns that they could face retaliation for speaking out about their worries on the tech, according to the employees. "Ordinary whistleblower protections are insufficient because they focus on illegal activity, whereas many of the risks we are concerned about are not yet regulated," they said. "Some of us reasonably fear various forms of retaliation, given the history of such cases across the industry. We are not the first to encounter or speak about these issues."
Omnipresent Launches Contractor Management Solution for Global Businesses
Omnipresent introduces its groundbreaking Contractor Management Solution, revolutionizing how businesses handle contractor engagements across borders. As the global gig economy surges and companies expand internationally, Omnipresent’s solution offers seamless payments, compliance, and administrative efficiency, mitigating complexities and ensuring smooth operations. With the global gig economy valued at $455 billion in 2023, freelance and contract work play a significant role. Businesses face challenges in managing international contractor workforce, including timely payments, invoice tracking, and compliance complexities. Omnipresent’s Contractor Solution offers Global Payments, Streamlined Invoice Management, Enhanced Compliance, and OmniProtect Indemnity Coverage. The solution addresses the risks of misclassification, enabling companies to operate confidently and focus on core activities.
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Worldclass content and business-building connections at TAtech Europe & The EMEA Job Board Forum. Register right now for the only conference in the EMEA market that is specifically designed both for job board and talent technology company CEOs, their direct reports and rising stars and to accelerate the bottom-line growth of their enterprises. Why the rush? Because the conference will be held September 17-19, 2024 in Paris at Cercle National des Armées, and it has a limited seating capacity. Whether your company is a niche or general job board, aggregator, talent marketplace, online classifieds business, programmatic platform, chatbot, conversational AI solution, ATS, recruitment marketing solution, CRM platform, interviewing or assessment system or talent technology consultancy, this event will supercharge your sales and your profits. So, register today and accelerate the success your company achieves, today, tomorrow and into the future!