Red Sox Reportedly Used AI Bot For 5 Rounds of Interviews With Front Office Candidate
The current regime for the Boston Red Sox reportedly took a questionable approach to filling a front office role.
During an appearance on NBC Sports Boston, MLB insider Joon Lee declared there's "a state of organizational dysfunction" under president Sam Kennedy, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and manager Alex Cora. Lee revealed that a candidate who pursued a position in Boston's front office was subjected to five rounds of interviews with a bot powered by artificial intelligence and never spoke to an actual person.
The candidate also interviewed for positions with the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, the latter of whom "have kind of been the organization that the Red Sox have been trying to emulate for the last five years," according to Lee. What he experienced as he pursued those roles was on the opposite end of the spectrum compared to his experience with the Red Sox.
"What he told me was that the gap between the feel, the people skills of [Dodgers president] Andrew Friedman... and what he dealt with with Craig Breslow, was so far apart that it seemed utterly delusional," Lee said. "The idea that this is what the Red Sox think the Dodgers are doing is just absolutely crazy. The gap between the two organizations and how they're trying to function is just miles and worlds apart."
Breslow later responded to Lee's report and divulged some details about the hiring process for the Red Sox.
"My understanding is there's like an initial screening, and that’s used as a first filter, and then there's human interactions and conversations in person. I’ve had a number of conversations in person and over Zooms with people we’ve hired," Breslow said, per Ian Browne of MLB.com.
Regarding the assertion that the candidate went through five rounds of interviews with an AI bot, Breslow defended the strategy and described it as a viable way to evaluate a large number of applicants.
"I think my short answer is, I'm not sure, because I know that I have had direct conversations with people. But like I said, if using this as kind of like a first filter, because the number of people who want to work with [the Red Sox] is so big, it makes sense," he said. "Now, I don't think we can make hiring decisions without actually talking to someone."
Breslow also indicated that he feels it's a necessity to have a "filtering" process when evaluating potential candidates.
"Especially because you're trying to find not just the right skill set, but the right fit in terms of like culture and value," he said. "Working in baseball is really unique and demanding. You want to make sure that the person that you are potentially putting in understands what they are getting themselves into, and that is the right type of thing."
Breslow added that the people who actually do get hired by the Red Sox go through a much more comprehensive process than simply speaking to an AI bot.
"There are hires where we’re meeting in person with people for multiple days of time," he said. "They're spending time with our leadership, team, department leadership, it's a pretty comprehensive process. We feel like we try to get to know candidates as well as we possibly can."
Boston has won eight out of its last 10 games to finally get above .500 at 38-37. The team missed the playoffs in each of the last three seasons but is holding onto hope that it can turn its fortune around this year.
Even as things started moving in a positive direction, the Red Sox made the questionable decision to trade star slugger Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday without getting much in return. Many are still skeptical about whether the move will benefit Boston in the long run, putting more pressure on Breslow and company to prove that it was a necessary change.
This new revelation won't help improve the perception of the Red Sox front office, but all will be forgiven if the team remains on the upswing and stacks more wins together. Boston will close out a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners (37-35) on Wednesday night.
