HM Revenue & Customs is using artificial intelligence (AI) to recruit staff, with some customer service agents being hired without ever speaking to a human. The taxman has been under fire for months over poor customer service – and a report last week revealed that taxpayers collectively spent almost 800 years waiting to speak to an adviser last year. It has now emerged that junior roles – including customer service advisers – are being hired purely using AI. Applicants send their CV and a 1,000-word statement, before being sent a video link only to be greeted by a pre-recorded video in which they are asked six questions, the Sunday Times reported. If successful, candidates can accept a job at HMRC by clicking a button – meaning they do not speak to a human until their first day in the role. The technology is provided through a company called Outmatch, which touts the tagline “treat your candidates like your best customers”. HMRC has consistently failed to meet its customer service targets for almost all of the last five years. Frozen tax thresholds have dragged millions more people into the tax net, causing a surge in demand for its helpline service. One...