A recruiter discovered that a candidate was allegedly using a real-time face filter to alter his appearance during a virtual interview.
A recruiter discovered that a candidate was allegedly using a real-time face filter to alter his appearance during a virtual interview. The bizarre incident, captured on video, has gone viral on social media, sparking fresh concerns about the growing misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) in recruitment.
Michigan-based recruiter Jason was interviewing candidates for a remote position when he encountered what he described as his first-ever 'deepfake candidate'. Although the applicant appeared slightly suspicious from the outset, it was Jason's colleague who first spotted something unusual about his face.
"The craziest thing happened to me in an interview yesterday. I interviewed my first deepfake candidate. It took me a bit to catch on," wrote Jason in an X post.
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"My coworker noticed his glasses looked off, there was a second ghost frame smeared across his cheeks. He'd been running a live face filter the whole interview."
Recruiter Uses 'You Can't See Me' Trick To Expose Candidate
In the now-viral video, Jason can be seen interrupting the interview to test whether the candidate was using a digital filter to disguise his appearance. He asked the applicant to wave his hand in front of his face, a simple gesture that could help reveal inconsistencies in the filter's tracking.
Jason even demonstrated the movement himself, invoking professional wrestler John Cena's famous 'You Can't See Me' gesture. However, the candidate allegedly avoided placing his hand directly in front of his face, raising further suspicions.
"Could you do me a favour real quick? Would you put your hand in front of your face. Could you do that? Like I am doing right now. Like the old John Cena, You can't see me,'" said Jason.
"So I asked him to put his hand in front of his face. He put it up right next to his face lol, never in front. Asked again, still wouldn't do it He looked a little different from his LinkedIn and his GitHub (which I won't link here) hiring and interviewing is so ridiculous now. In the days of AI we're going to have to be more careful and forced to move to in-person interviews," he added.
Jason also pointed out that the candidate's appearance did not quite match the photographs on his LinkedIn and GitHub profiles. Although he chose not to share the applicant's profile links, the incident has reignited debate over how recruiters can verify candidates' identities during remote hiring.
'Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures': Internet Reacts
Many social media users praised Jason for spotting the suspicious behaviour. Some even urged him to publicly identify the candidate, while others suggested that the incident reflected the increasingly unconventional tactics people may resort to while searching for jobs.
"You should disclose the faker's link. Why protect the privacy of a scammer? Their privacy data could be fake as well," said one user.
Another commented, “Desperate times call for desperate measures. I'll give him props for trying tho, lol.”
