Fashion company gap has revealed it is using an AI-powered hiring assistant to help recruit seasonal staff for the festive period.

The retailer introduced the AI tool, called Bridgette, in June as part of a pilot across more than 100 stores and six regional distribution centres.

Built using AI platform from technology company Paradox and integrated with Workday Recruiting, Gap said the virtual assistant helps candidates search for roles, submit applications and schedule interviews through a mobile-based chat interface.

Gap added almost 45,000 candidates have used Bridgette during the pilot, while the tool has scheduled more than 7,000 interviews for store managers.

The company expects to receive around 200,000 applications for seasonal roles across its stores and distribution centres during the holiday period.

Bridgette will support recruitment at all distribution centres and participating stores by answering candidate questions, arranging interviews, sending reminders and providing updates throughout the hiring process.

Gap said the technology aims to reduce administrative work for managers while leaving interview and hiring decisions to store leaders, adding that it can help manage the “repetitive co-ordination” behind hiring while allowing the process to still feel personal.

“Technology is successful when it helps people do their jobs better,” said Sven Gerjets, chief technology officer at Gap. “Bridgette is a tangible example of our human-centred approach to AI.

“The technology can work in the background to remove friction and keep the process moving, while our leaders focus on people, understanding what they can bring to the team and creating great experiences for our customers.”

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