Gap streamlines hiring with AI tool; recruits holiday workers
As the holiday hiring rush begins, Gap Inc. is piloting an artificial intelligence solution to guide job candidates and speed up hiring decisions.
Since June, Gap has been piloting an AI tool called “Bridgette” which is designed to enhance the hiring process for both applicants and managers at more than 100 stores and six regional distribution centers.
Built using the Paradox AI recruitment platform and integrated with Workday hiring technology, Bridgette is designed to help candidates explore job opportunities, apply for roles and navigate the hiring process through a mobile-first conversational experience. Gap is currently recruiting for seasonal full- and part-time roles across its stores and distribution centers.
Available 24/7, Bridgette is designed to answer common questions, coordinate interviews, send reminders and keep candidates informed at every step of the process. Since June, nearly 45,000 job candidates have engaged with Bridgette, and it has scheduled more than 7,000 interviews. Results of the pilot for Gap include reduced time spent on administrative tasks and increased time for managers to handle daily responsibilities.
As the holidays approach, Gap expects its stores and distribution centers will receive an estimated 200,000 seasonal employment applications. The retailer plans to use Bridgette to help guide candidates through the application process and enable faster hiring decisions at all distribution centers and participating store locations.
“Holiday hiring moves quickly, but the experience should still feel personal,” said Amy Thompson, chief people officer, Gap Inc. “We’re using AI to remove unnecessary friction for candidates and our teams so they can connect faster. Technology can help manage the repetitive coordination behind hiring, while our people stay focused on the conversations and decisions that build great teams.”
Gap embraces AI
Gap is in the midst of an enterprise AI transformation. Through Google’s “Universal Commerce Protocol” (UCP), Gap previously said it will be able to meet its customers wherever they choose to shop, with products ready for seamless checkout across emerging AI-native environments.
[READ MORE: Google expands capabilities of Agentic commerce standard]
As many retailers continue to test isolated AI use cases, Gap said it has rebuilt its digital foundation to support AI end-to-end. Built on unified Google Cloud data, AI-ready architecture, and disciplined governance, the company has said it is scaling intelligence across every journey as part of its operating model.
At its Old Navy and Banana Republic banners, Gap is launching new AI-based conversational tools that allow customers to describe what they are looking for in natural language and receive relevant product ideas and recommendations.
In addition, Gap Inc. products are now discoverable via the AI-based fashion discovery platform Daydream, where shoppers describe what they are looking for in everyday language to help discover relevant products. The Gap banner is also partnering with the Alta Daily 3D styling app to enable customers to virtually try on its products on their Alta avatar.
“Technology is successful when it helps people do their jobs better,” said Sven Gerjets, CTO, Gap Inc. “Bridgette is a tangible example of our human-centered 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.”
Founded in 1969 and based in San Francisco, Gap Inc. is the largest specialty apparel company in America, operating the Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta banners.
