An IIT graduate faced an embarrassing situation when he submitted a cover letter written using artificial intelligence.
New Delhi: An IIT graduate faced an embarrassing situation when he submitted a cover letter written using artificial intelligence. The incident came to light after a Twitter user shared a screenshot of a cover letter written by Akhil, which inadvertently included the words “(company name, fallback=)”.
Hi,
Akhil is an IIT graduate
Your code did not work.
Sincerely,
(company name, return=) pic.twitter.com/18vc0CnQkK — Leo (@4eo) July 13, 2023
In the cover letter, intended to highlight the applicant’s technical expertise, Akhil mentioned that he had developed core microservices capable of handling 25,000 requests per minute. The unusual blunder drew mixed reactions on Twitter, with some finding humor in the situation, while others approached it from a different perspective.
One user speculated that Akhil may have wanted to show off his technical skills by including the technical placeholder in the cover letter as a demo of his proficiency. Another user, unfamiliar with the technical jargon, interestingly commented that she believed the term “active campaign” was related to marketing experts, which took Akhil’s inclusion in his cover letter to the next level.
Reactions on Twitter were mixed, with one user pointing out that the acceptability of such efforts depends on the job market and the industry. In highly competitive industries where many positions require applying to secure an interview, some people may use AI or other automated methods to simplify the application process. However, in industries with more opportunities and a less intensive labor market, such strategies may be viewed favorably.
The incident also raised questions about the ethics of using AI to write cover letters or automate the application process. A user shared their recent encounter with an app that claims to generate cover letters on their behalf, allowing them to apply to hundreds of employers within a day. They expressed concern about the ethical implications of this approach.