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00:00FOR MORE, WE ARE JOINED BY IBM'S TALENT MANAGING DIRECTOR. HOW EXACTLY DOES THIS TECHNOLOGY WORK? >> WE ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS NEW BUSINESS. YOU KNOW, AS TECHNOLOGY IS CONTINUING TO ADVANCE, ABOUT 120 MILLION WORKERS AT LEAST ARE GOING TO NEED TO BE RESKILLED IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS. THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT BOARD ROOM TOPIC FOR MOST COMPANIES. OUR NEW BUSINESS IS BEING LAUNCHED IN ORDER TO HELP THOSE COMPANIES DEAL WITH THAT IN TWO DIFFERENT WAYS. ONE WAY IS TO HELP THEM WITH RESKILLING THEIR WORKFORCE ON A CONTINUOUS BASIS, AS WELL AS HELPING THEM CHANGE THE WAY THEY ARE WORKING FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES. THE SECOND WAY IS TO HELP THEM REINVENT THEIR HR FUNCTION, SO THAT CAN BE THE CATALYST FOR THAT CHANGE. EMILY: HOW COULD THIS AVOID A SITUATION LIKE THE ONE FACEBOOK FINDS ITSELF IN NOW? WE JUST SPOKE TO AN EX-EMPL OYEE WHO SAYS THIS COMPANY HAS A RACISM PROBLEM AND WENT PUBLIC WITH IT. AMY: THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT AI CAN HELP WITH MANY DECISIONS IN THE WORKPLACE, BUT THE PEOPLE THAT MAKE THE DECISIONS -- IT IS THE PEOPLE THAT TRAIN AI. OUR BELIEF THAT IBM IS IF WE EDUCATE OUR EMPLOYEES IN HOW TO USE AI, HOW IT HELPS THEM IN THEIR JOBS, THEY ARE THE ONES THAT ULTIMATELY ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO IMPACT OUR WAYS OF WORKING AND MAKE A REAL POSITIVE DIFFERENCE FOR BIAS IN THE WORKPLACE. EMILY: YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. IT IS ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE BUILDING THE AI. THIS IS AN INDUSTRY THAT IS DOMINATED BY MEN. IBM DOESN'T RELEASE A DIVERSITY REPORT, BUT IT IS WELL-KNOWN THAT THE TECH INDUSTRY IN GENERAL HAS A GENDER PROBLEM, HAS A RACE PROBLEM. ISN'T IT PROFITABLE -- POSSIBLE THAT AI COULD NOT JUST, NOT NECESSARILY REDUCE BIAS, BUT RE-ENSHRINE BIAS THAT ALREADY EXISTS IN THE ALGORITHMS? AMY: THE AI ALGORITHMS ARE TRAINED BY PEOPLE, SO IT IS JUST -- JUST LIKE WITHOUT TECHNOLOGY PEOPLE CAN HAVE BIAS. TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP THIS BIAS IN A VERY DRAMATIC WAY, IF IT IS TRAINED IN THE RIGHT WAY. THAT'S WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT THAT COMPANIES ADOPT US, AS MANY HAVE, A BELIEF SYSTEM ON HOW IMPORTANT DIVERSITY IS, LIKE IBM HAS FOR OVER 100 YEARS, AND THAT THEY TRAIN THEIR PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT WAYS TO USE TECHNOLOGY, SO THAT CAN HELP EDUCATE THE WORKFORCE AND HELP EDUCATE DECISION-MAKERS TO NOT USE BY US IN DECISION-MAKING -- USE BIAS IN DECISION-MAKING. EMILY: REUTERS PUBLISHED A SHOCKING STORY ABOUT AN AMAZON RECRUITING TOOL THAT TRAINED ITSELF TO REJECT THE RESUMES OF FEMALE CANDIDATES. IT SIMPLY LEARNED THAT MALE CANDIDATES WERE BETTER BECAUSE SO MANY MEN GOT HIRED. HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE THAT DOESN'T GET BUILT INTO YOUR SYSTEM AS YOU ARE DEVELOPING THIS PRODUCT? AMY: WE ACTUALLY HAVE SEVERAL PRODUCTS THAT ASSIST IN THE RECRUITMENT AREA. AVOIDING BIAS IS A BIG PART OF WHAT THEY DO. IN TODAY'S WORLD, THE ENTIRE FUNCTION OF RECRUITMENT HAS PRETTY DRAMATICALLY CHANGED. NOW THAT EMPLOYEES, INSTEAD OF LOOKING FOR A SPECIFIC JOB, A CANDIDATE LOOKING FOR A SPECIFIC JOB, THEY CAN UPLOAD THEIR RESUME AND OUR PRODUCTS, OUR WATSON CANDIDATE ASSIST PRODUCT CAN LOOK AT THEIR RESUME AND LOOK AT THEIR SKILLS AND IDENTIFY WHAT RULES THEY WOULD BE -- ROLES THEY WOULD BE SKILLED AT DOING. IT OPENS UP A WHOLE NEW SET OF CAPABILITIES AND ROLES THAT AN INDIVIDUAL WOULD BE QUALIFIED TO APPLY FOR, WHICH IS A TOTALLY OPPOSITE PERSPECTIVE THAN THE SITUATION YOU ARE REFERENCING, BECAUSE IT OPENS UP A WHOLE NEW WORLD OF QUALIFICATION FOR PEOPLE THAT PERHAPS, THEY DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THEY WERE READY TO TAKE ON THOSE NEW ADVENTURES. EMILY: HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK THIS NEW PRODUCT WILL IMPACT IBM'S TALENT BUSINESS? DO YOU THINK THIS WILL BE A BIG REVENUE GENERATOR? EMILY: OUR BUSINESS IS NOT ABOUT A SINGLE PRODUCT. OUR BUSINESS IS ABOUT HELPING CORPORATIONS SHIFT THEIR MODEL SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE A COMPETITIVE DIFFERENTIATOR WITH TALENT MOVING FORWARD IN THE FUTURE. EMILY: AMY WRIGHT, THANK YOU SO

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How IBM Is Improving the Workplace Through AI

Amy Wright, IBM managing director for talent, discusses the company's new artificial intelligence-fueled talent business. She speaks with Bloomberg's Emily Chang on "Bloomberg Technology." (Source: Bloomberg)

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