Turned to artificial intelligence (AI) to help you stand out during the job process, but got rejected in the first round? Or are you a hiring manager who relied on AI to frisk through applications to select the best candidate, but ended up with not what you quite envisioned?The answer lies in the approach itself. Relying on artificial intelliegnce for job application might be doing you more harm than good.The growing use of artificial intelligence in recruitment is reshaping how Americans search for work, just as the country’s labour market shows signs of slowing. From automated interviews to AI-written cover letters, technology is now a part of almost every stage of the hiring process. But is it working? In 2025, more than half of organisations surveyed by the Society for Human Resource Management reported using AI tools to recruit workers. At the same time, almost one-third of ChatGPT users turned to the OpenAI chatbot for help with job applications. Yet recent research indicates that candidates who rely on AI during the application process are actually less likely to be hired, even as employers struggle to cope with a flood of applications. “The ability (for companies) to select the best worker today may be worse due to AI,” Anais Galdin, a researcher at Dartmouth told CNN Business. Galdin and Jesse Silbert of Princeton University examined tens of thousands of cover letters submitted on Freelancer.com, a job listing platform and found that after the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, cover letters became longer and more polished. However, employers placed less importance on them, making it harder to distinguish strong candidates from the wider pool. As a result, hiring rates dropped, and so did average starting wages, CNN reported. “If we do nothing to make information flow better between workers and firms, then we might have an outcome that looks something like this,” Silbert said, referring to the study’s findings.

A negative cycle

As application volumes rise, companies are increasingly automating interviews as well.According to a survey by recruitment software firm Greenhouse conducted in October, 54% of US job seekers said they had taken part in an AI-led interview. While virtual interviews became common during the pandemic in 2020, many employers now use AI systems to conduct interviews, without necessarily removing subjectivity from hiring decisions. “Algorithms can copy and even magnify human biases,” said Djurre Holtrop, a researcher who studies the use of asynchronous video interviews, algorithms and large language models in hiring.“Every developer needs to be wary of that,” CNN cited the expert. Daniel Chait, chief executive of Greenhouse, said the growing use of AI by both applicants and employers has created a negative cycle. “Both sides are saying, ‘This is impossible, it’s not working, it’s getting worse,’” Chait told CNN.

What’s next?

Despite these concerns, adoption of the technology continues with one estimate projecting that the market for recruitment technology will grow to $3.1 billion by the end of this year. At the same time, resistance is mounting from lawmakers, labour groups and workers worried about discrimination. Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO labour union, described AI-driven hiring as “unacceptable”. “AI systems rob workers of opportunities they’re qualified for based on criteria as arbitrary as names, zip codes, or even how often they smile,” Shuler said in a statement to CNN. Several US states, including California, Colorado and Illinois, are introducing new laws and regulations aimed at setting standards for the use of AI in hiring. However, a recent executive order signed by US President Donald Trump raised questions about the future of state-level oversight. Samuel Mitchell, a Chicago-based employment lawyer, said the order does not “preempt” state law but adds to the “ongoing uncertainty” around regulation. He added that existing anti-discrimination laws still apply, even when companies use AI systems, and legal challenges are already emerging. In a case supported by the American Civil Liberties Union, a deaf woman is suing HireVue, an AI-powered recruitment company, alleging that an automated interview failed to meet legal accessibility standards. HireVue denied the claim, telling CNN that its technology reduces bias through a “foundation of validated behavioral science”. Even with these challenges, more and more AI is getting hiring access. New tools have made resume screening more sophisticated, potentially helping some candidates who may have been overlooked. But for those who value personal interaction, the shift has been unsettling. Jared Looper, an IT project manager in Salt Lake City, Utah, who previously worked as a recruiter, recently underwent an AI-led interview during his job search. He described the experience as “cold”, and said he initially hung up when contacted by the automated system. Looper said he worries about job seekers who have yet to adapt to a hiring environment where appealing to algorithms has become essential. “Some great people are going to be left behind.”

New Delhi: Strengthening business linkages and sustained investment flows between India and Nepal are expected to drive bilateral trade into a new growth phase, with volumes likely to double by 2030, according to an article in Nepalese media.

Bilateral trade remains the most visible and measurable pillar of India–Nepal economic relations, reflecting both geographic proximity and deep-rooted interdependence. India accounts for over 64 per cent of Nepal’s total trade, underscoring its centrality to Nepal’s external economic engagement and supply chains. In FY 2024–25, total bilateral trade reached approximately USD 8.7 billion, reaffirming India’s position as Nepal’s largest trading partner by a wide margin.

India’s exports to Nepal stood at about USD 7.4 billion, dominated by petroleum products, machinery, vehicles, pharmaceuticals, food items, and construction materials, which are critical to Nepal’s consumption and infrastructure needs. Nepal’s exports to India, valued at nearly USD 1.3 billion, mainly include electricity, agricultural products, iron and steel items, and manufactured goods.

This robust trade structure underscores both the extent of economic integration and the significant potential for diversification, value addition, and more balanced growth of Nepal’s export basket in the coming years. With growing business and investments, the trade trajectory is expected to enter a new phase, with bilateral trade doubling over the next five years, according to the article in the Nepal Aaja news portal.

The article also highlights that India–Nepal bilateral investments reflect a deepening economic partnership anchored in geographical proximity, historical trust, and growing strategic convergence. Indian companies constitute the largest source of foreign direct investment in Nepal, accounting for roughly 30–35 per cent of Nepal’s total FDI stock.

Cumulative Indian investment is estimated at USD 750–800 million, with operational investments of nearly USD 670 million spread across more than 150 Indian ventures. These investments span key sectors such as hydropower, manufacturing, banking, insurance, telecommunications, cement, tourism, education, and hospitality, making India a critical driver of Nepal’s industrialisation and services-sector expansion.

Indian public and private enterprises have played a particularly transformative role in Nepal’s hydropower sector by combining capital, technology, and assured power off-take arrangements, thereby strengthening Nepal’s energy security while creating long-term commercial returns for Indian firms. Indian banks and insurance companies have contributed to financial deepening and stability, while joint ventures in manufacturing and tourism have generated employment, skills, and local value addition.

This investment synergy is reinforced by India’s broader development partnership initiatives, which support infrastructure creation, cross-border connectivity, and capacity building, thereby lowering investment risks and enhancing economic integration. Together, investment flows and development finance are knitting the two economies into a closely interconnected economic space with shared long-term interests, the article points out.

Energy cooperation has emerged as a transformative pillar of India–Nepal relations, redefining Nepal’s role in the regional economy. Nepal possesses vast hydropower potential, estimated at over 40,000 MW of economically viable capacity. In recent years, concerted efforts by both governments have enabled Nepal to transition from a net importer of electricity to a growing exporter.

In fiscal year 2024–25, Nepal exported approximately NPR 17–18 billion (about USD 130 million) in electricity, with the majority sold to India. Long-term power trade agreements envisage Nepal exporting up to 10,000 MW of electricity to India over the coming decade.

This energy partnership provides Nepal with a stable source of export revenue while supporting India’s clean energy transition and regional grid stability. The integration of power markets has also positioned India as a transit country for Nepal’s electricity exports to third countries, further enhancing regional economic cooperation, the article added.

Chris Craddock/BBC

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