AI in 2025: Helpful Tool, Job Search Nightmare, or Both?

AI is everywhere in 2025. It’s not like the sci-fi movies we grew up with—where robots rise up and decide they don’t like humans—but is it still kind of scary? Could it be?

The Killer Robot Myth

Let’s get this out of the way: I’m not worried about AI becoming self-aware and turning on us. A few of my friends are, so I’ve thought about it. But honestly? AI doesn’t have emotions, and it doesn’t make decisions based on feelings. And if things ever did go haywire, we could always just… turn it off.

What I Am Concerned About

AI is becoming dangerous in a much quieter, more subtle way. I love using AI. I rely on it for research, proofreading, brainstorming ideas, creating fun images—you name it. With tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and open-source models, AI is more accessible than ever. You can even build your own tools from scratch or integrate models into your projects.

That’s the good side. But let’s talk about the dark side—especially when it comes to job hunting.

AI and the Job Search Wall

I’ve been unemployed for a while, and finding a new job has become incredibly frustrating. Why? Because AI is now heavily involved in hiring.

Most job boards and application systems use AI to screen resumes before a human ever sees them. And while that may be efficient for recruiters, it’s a nightmare for job seekers.

The problem is: I’m not just a resume. I have skills, experience, and potential that don’t fit neatly on one page. But if I don’t tailor each resume with the right keywords to get past the AI filter, my application likely won’t go anywhere.

So now every job application involves:

• Rewriting my resume to match specific keywords.

• Writing a new cover letter.

• Filling out an application that asks for the same info already on the resume.

Bad UX for Job Seekers

All of this repetition? It’s a terrible user experience.

These tools are optimized for recruiters—the paying customers—but the job seeker experience is broken. Even on platforms where I’ve already uploaded my info, I still have to re-enter it again and again for each application.

If these platforms truly cared about both sides of the process, they’d offer things like:

• Feedback on your resume’s AI-readability score.

• Stats showing how often your resume has been seen by a human.

• Insights into your odds of getting an interview.

There’s a huge opportunity here to improve things for the people who use these tools daily—not just the ones footing the bill.

A Thought for the Future

I’m all for using AI to improve our lives, work, and creativity. But we need to ask ourselves: Should we use it in every situation, just because we can?

As someone who works with products and user experiences, I’ll leave you with this:

Just because the paying customer holds the checkbook doesn’t mean they’re the only customer that matters.

Let’s not forget the people on the other side of the system.