The Robot Will Hear You Now: Easing Job Harassment Reporting

The robots are coming, but not in the way you might think. Chatbots, or artificial-intelligence-powered software systems that humans interact with through a chat platform, are creeping into the HR sphere to combat workplace harassment.

In the roughly 13 months since public allegations against Harvey Weinstein helped to spur the #MeToo movement, a dozen states have enacted laws affecting employers, the federal government has filed 50 percent more lawsuits, and many executives say they’ve changed their behavior. Yet many employees say plenty of harassing behavior still goes unreported and unaddressed.

That leaves an opening for chatbots and AI.

Automated anti-harassment ...