A New Zealand woman was uneasy and felt rushed during a suspicious AI-powered job interview, and the company stopped responding altogether, raising red flags that the job posting might not have even been real.
After being ghosted, job seeker Charlie Maclean wondered whether the process could have been a ploy to collect personal information.
Here's what to know
She told Radio New Zealand that the interviewer was an AI agent that used keywords from her answers to generate follow-up questions. Maclean said the format felt unnatural and rushed because even a brief pause could prompt the system to move to the next question.
Her suspicions deepened when the company, despite early enthusiasm, effectively disappeared. After researching it, Maclean said she came to believe the posting may have been a so-called "ghost job" — a role advertised without intention of being filled — or a way to collect candidate data for artificial intelligence training.
Victoria University senior lecturer in organizational psychology Ben Walker told RNZ that cases such as this rarely come with definitive proof. Still, he said online discussion has been enough to raise doubts about whether some posted jobs are genuine.
Bruce Pilbrow, chief executive of the Tribe Group recruitment agency, said the idea sounded credible, noting that résumés and job applications can provide valuable information.
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
"There's a lot happening in the AI space and the online space in the sense of harvesting information," he said, per RNZ. "Data is king."
More background
Victoria University senior lecturer in AI Andrew Lensen said the concern goes beyond whether any single listing is fake. Curricula vitae and cover letters contain names, education histories, work experience, skills, and sometimes home addresses — information that could become valuable if it is stored in databases or repurposed in AI systems.
Walker said a burst of hiring by a company people do not recognize can be a warning sign. Maclean said that over months of job hunting, she repeatedly saw LinkedIn ads for remote jobs with unusually high pay.
Maclean said the process became so demoralizing that she nearly forgot what she was good at and even resorted to sending employers cupcakes with QR codes in the icing in hopes of getting a phone call.
What's being done?
In response, Maclean started a petition to New Zealand's Parliament calling for ghost job ads to be explicitly outlawed, RNZ reported, following similar crackdowns elsewhere. She argues that while she cannot fix the difficult labor market, applicants should at least be able to trust that the jobs they spend time pursuing are real.
Platforms and recruiters say they are relying on safeguards. In response to RNZ's questions, a LinkedIn spokesperson said the company is investing in free verifications for jobs, recruiters, and company pages and that every job listed on the platform must be authentic and accurately represented.
Other New Zealand job platforms said they do not view ghost jobs as a major issue. SEEK and Trade Me said that posting costs, verification steps, and user reporting tools guard against suspicious listings, according to RNZ.
The recruiters it contacted said they had not directly encountered ghost jobs in New Zealand. However, one recruiter with nearly 20 years of experience said fake listings used to harvest data had become an issue discussed among colleagues overseas.
"It's incredibly difficult out there. I can't fix that for people, but this seems like a really easy one. ... At least the things that you do put the effort in [for] should be real," Maclean said.
Where can I learn more?
Worries about AI-driven interviews and applicant data are part of a broader debate over how companies are using automation at work.
• McDonald's faced backlash after an AI hiring platform mistake exposed millions of applicants' data.
• A 2026 workplace report found AI side effects at work were spreading faster than expected.
• Across industries, security concerns around AI fueled public backlash over jobs, water, and electricity.
• An expert investor warned AI's terrifying employment impact could upend livelihoods on a massive scale.
• Geoffrey Hinton said the future of work may enrich a few and squeeze many.
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
