AI in Hiring: A Game-Changer or a Gamble? Wheebox CEO on Balancing Innovation with Fairness

If I could go back in time and whisper one thing to my younger self, it would be this: "The best ideas don’t come from the boardroom. They come from the battlefield", says Nirmal Singh, CEO, of ETS Assessment Services – Wheebox in a candid conversation with CIOL.

Today, companies are shifting their focus from degrees to real skills, the hiring landscape is undergoing a massive transformation, Wheebox, now part of ETS Corporate Solutions is leveraging AI to make talent assessment more scientific, fair, and data-driven.

From tackling traditional hiring biases to building AI-driven workforce analytics, Wheebox has evolved beyond just assessments—it’s shaping the future of work. With ETS’s global reach, the company is expanding into new markets and pioneering next-gen solutions like immersive skill simulations and predictive hiring models. By 2030, hiring won’t be about résumés but real-time skill passports and AI-powered job matching. Excerpts.

When Wheebox began over ten years ago, what specific hiring or skill assessment challenges were you trying to solve? How has your approach adapted as the industry’s needs changed?

Imagine a world where hiring decisions were still based on gut feelings and glossy résumés. That’s where we were more than a decade ago. Organizations struggled to find the right talent—not because skilled individuals weren’t out there, but because traditional hiring methods didn’t do justice to their true potential. Companies were sifting through piles of applications, relying on outdated tests, and making decisions that were at best, educated guesses. When we launched Wheebox, our mission was clear: Make hiring and talent development scientific, data-driven, and unbiased.

We built an assessment ecosystem that could measure real skills—whether cognitive, technical, or behavioral—so that every individual had a fair shot at success, and every employer had clarity on who truly fit their needs.

Fast forward to today, the landscape has evolved, and so have we. The biggest shift? The rise of the skills economy. Companies are no longer just hiring for degrees; they’re hiring for capabilities. ETS, the largest not-for-profit assessment company acquired Wheebox in 2023, thus anticipated this shift early and transformed our approach. We went beyond standardized assessments and introduced AI-driven talent insights, adaptive learning models, and real-world skill simulations. 

We’re now helping enterprises and governments not just hire but build a future-ready workforce by identifying skill gaps and bridging them.Wheebox started as a company solving a hiring problem. Today, at ETS Corporate Solution we’re shaping the future of work itself. And the journey is just getting started.

AI is everywhere in recruitment now. How does Wheebox balance staying ahead with tech like AI while ensuring evaluations don’t unintentionally exclude good candidates?

AI in hiring is like fire—it can either illuminate the right talent or burn opportunities if used recklessly. At Wheebox, we don’t just chase the latest tech trends; we focus on building fair, transparent, and inclusive AI-driven assessments that work for people. The biggest challenge with AI in hiring is bias. If not carefully designed, AI can reinforce stereotypes, favor certain demographics, or overlook unconventional but talented candidates. That’s why ETS Corporate Solutions takes a human-first approach to AI. Our models are constantly audited for fairness, trained on diverse datasets, and designed to assess potential, not just past privilege.

For example, instead of relying purely on past job titles or academic pedigree, our AI evaluates cognitive abilities, problem-solving skills, and adaptability—traits that predict real success. We also blend AI with human intelligence so that technology remains a tool, not a gatekeeper. Staying ahead in tech isn’t just about using AI—it’s about using it responsibly. The goal isn’t just to make hiring faster, but to make it smarter, fairer, and truly meritocratic. At ETS Corporate Solutions, that’s the future we’re building.

Since joining forces with ETS, how has their expertise or expectations shifted Wheebox’s priorities? Are there new markets or tools this collaboration has made possible?

Imagine bringing together two forces—one with a legacy of research-driven assessments (ETS) and the other with deep-tech talent intelligence (Wheebox)—to reshape how skills are measured, and talent is nurtured globally. That’s exactly what happened when we joined forces with ETS.

Globally, ETS has been synonymous with rigor and reliability in assessments for decades. Their expertise in psychometrics and large-scale testing has helped us refine and elevate our AI-driven skill assessments, making them even more scientifically validated and globally scalable. In turn, Wheebox’s tech-first, skills-based hiring approach has brought agility and innovation to ETS’s broader vision.

But the real game-changer? New markets and new solutions. With ETS’s global reach, we are expanding beyond India into regions like the Middle East, and Southeast Asia—markets that are hungry for reliable, skills-based hiring solutions. Together, we’re building tools that go beyond testing—AI-driven workforce analytics, next-gen language proficiency assessments, and predictive hiring models that match talent with jobs more effectively. Very soon our gold standard test for Corporate English Language testing called ‘TOEIC’ will be available in India for our Enterprise customers. This collaboration isn’t just about business expansion—it’s about a shared mission: to redefine the future of work, where skills, not just degrees, open doors. And trust me, we’re just getting started.

Indian companies are increasingly prioritizing skills over degrees. Do you think this shift will keep growing, and what might hiring look like here by 2030?

The days when a degree was the golden ticket to a career are fading fast. Indian companies are no longer just hiring credentials; they’re hiring capabilities. This shift is not a passing trend—it’s the future. By 2030, hiring in India will look completely different. Resumes will be replaced by real-time skill passports, where an individual’s abilities are continuously updated through AI-driven assessments. Employers won’t ask, "Where did you graduate from?"—they’ll ask, "What can you do, and how fast can you learn?"

With AI, automation, and rapid upskilling, skill relevance will trump educational pedigree. We’ll see:

On-demand skill verification: Candidates will prove their expertise instantly through immersive assessments.

Job matching by AI: Platforms will match individuals to jobs not based on experience but on future potential.

Continuous learning ecosystems: Companies won’t just hire talent—they’ll grow it, investing in lifelong learning through micro-credentials.

At ETS, we saw this shift coming years ago, and that’s why we’re pioneering skills-based hiring solutions that help organizations identify, assess, and nurture talent beyond degrees. By 2030, the real question won’t be “What did you study?” but “What can you create, solve, and innovate?” India is leading this transformation, and it’s only going to accelerate.

Having built Wheebox from the ground up, what’s one thing you wish you’d known earlier about leading a team or staying innovative in a fast-changing industry?

If I could go back in time and whisper one thing to my younger self, it would be this: "The best ideas don’t come from the boardroom. They come from the battlefield." When we started Wheebox, we thought leadership was about having all the answers with their experience. But over the years, I’ve learned that great leadership is about asking the right questions—and listening fiercely. Some of our biggest innovations weren’t born in strategy meetings; they came from conversations with customers, insights from our engineers, and even feedback from partners using our platform.

Staying innovative in a fast-changing industry isn’t about chasing every trend—it’s about building a culture where curiosity thrives, and failure isn’t feared. The industries we serve—hiring, education, workforce development—are evolving at lightning speed. The only way to stay ahead is to embrace reinvention as a mindset, not a one-time event.

I wish I had known earlier that the best leaders aren’t those who have the smartest solutions, but those who create an environment where everyone feels empowered to challenge the status quo and build the future together. That’s what keeps ETS today not just relevant, but always ahead of the curve.