As a German-Dutch citizen, she senses the cultural differences that demand different approaches. While the Dutch are more daring in using AI, German-speaking countries are ahead in inclusive language use. “I cannot translate the same message into both German and Dutch. I have to adapt my texts for each country. Additionally, there is a varying level of development. Some organizations have been working with AI daily since the trend emerged last year and know a lot about tools and functionalities. Others have never heard of it.”
“There are also a lot of prejudices against the use of AI,” continues Rebecca Hornig. “For example, the fear that AI will take away people’s jobs. In Germany, however, the main concern is how data is processed and stored.”
Both Dutch and Germans are also reaching their limits when it comes to using AI. ChatGPT, for example, is not yet able to create good gender-inclusive texts despite suitable prompts, a UNESCO study confirms. Hornig has also noticed this at recent events and fairs.
Textmetrics: Humanity Meets AI
Textmetrics and ChatGPT differentiate themselves, Hornig explains: “ChatGPT is a generative AI, so it ‘understands’ what I want to see and provides me with a corresponding result. The answers are also constantly changing despite the same prompts. Textmetrics also has a generative component but is more of a classifying AI. This means Textmetrics acts as a sort of control instance. Our data is based on algorithms that we have developed ourselves. Data scientist Anna Pillar will also discuss this in our joint webinar. The algorithm of Textmetrics focuses on inclusivity, SEO, branding, style, writing rules, and taboo words – just as the customers want. What makes us special is the human aspect. Our employees work with the customers to create a customized Textmetrics environment. Humans will always be the most important factor. Humanity in conjunction with AI: that’s Textmetrics.”
Textmetrics has been active for ten years and also works with partners such as Jobdigger, who create the algorithms for the pool factors for Textmetrics.
Rebecca Hornig at the Webinar Tage: “No fear of AI!”
Together with her colleague Anna Pillar, Rebecca Hornig will hold a webinar on „Zukunftssicheres Recruiting: Alle 2025-Trends in einer einzigen Software” on September 18th at 1:30 p.m. On this occasion, the two experts want to show that there is no need to fear AI and, on the contrary, that much can be achieved through its use. “Those who use AI correctly, that is, sustainably – such as with Textmetrics – are future-proof. We will also discuss how AI can meet the human demands of inclusivity. Our focus is mainly on inclusive language.”
AI and Inclusivity
According to Ms. Hornig, what AI can do better than human authors is objective control.
“Humans always have biases; this cannot be switched off. Unfortunately, this is reflected unintentionally in the texts. Companies that stand for inclusivity and diversity often do not have inclusive or gender-neutral job advertisements. That is a human error, and AI can help if used correctly.”
Textmetrics goes deeper than gendering or gender-neutral language, which can be set with their own writing rules. “It is mainly the unconscious expressions that we check.” Hornig points out how using male-dominated agentic words deters women from applying. Textmetrics pays attention to these subtleties as well as to the correct structure, such as not including too many bullet points in a job ad. These can deter female candidates if they do not meet 100% of the requirements, while men apply even if they only meet six out of ten required skills, as a study by the Harvard Business Review confirms.
AI for Everyone
Rebecca Hornig is sure that there will be more openness to the use of AI in the future: “No one will be able to avoid the use of AI. We expect it to be used as naturally as Google is today. The difficulty here is to recognize good providers. Many seemingly new tools are actually ChatGPT, which has been installed behind a mask. Textmetrics has been around for ten years and has its algorithms. Over time, users will see the differences and understand them better.”
Webinar Tage
Ms. Hornig can’t wait to share her expertise on September 18th and get to know the German-speaking audience. The participants of the webinar days can look forward to a lively exchange.
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Written by: By Lydia Stöflmayr
