Human bias wasn’t enough, now we’re battling the machines

Australians aged over 50 have the most disposable income, yet, are the most undeserved by brands and marketers. Kieran Moore argues that ageism is to blame and the role of AI in hiring will only make it worse.

Kieran Moore is the co-founder and principal at Brangwin & Moore.

As Australia grows older, the industries designed to understand and engage with consumers – marketing, media and communications – are letting go of those who know the audience best.

Seasoned professionals are being made redundant in waves, casualties of shrinking budgets and client churn.

Experience, once a prized asset, is now seen as an expensive overhead.

But the problem runs deeper than economic pragmatism and stereotypical views that older professionals are slow to change, can’t grasp technology and are not part of the cultural Zeitgeist. It’s becoming algorithmic.

Recruiters have long marginalised older candidates – whether consciously or unconsciously. Now, in some instances, artificial intelligence is doing the job faster and more invisibly.

A recent US lawsuit against HR tech platform Workday alleges age discrimination is baked into its screening systems.

Several plaintiffs over 40 claim to have been rejected hundreds of times, sometimes within minutes of applying, without so much as an interview.

The lawsuit contends that the platform’s algorithm disqualifies experienced professionals before a human ever sees their CV.

Used responsibly, AI recruitment tools can reduce bias, like ageism, when a human remains in the loop.

Without this oversight, algorithms risk amplifying discrimination. Ethical design demands safeguards that ensure experienced candidates are assessed on merit, not erased by code.

This week, the Australian Human Rights Commission released its Older and Younger Workers report, revealing a troubling trend: one in four employers now perceive candidates in their early 50s as old, a perception that has doubled in just two years. For professionals in their 50s and beyond, this bias creates a brutal feedback loop: first made redundant due to cost, then filtered out of the talent pool by software designed to mimic recruiter behaviour – bias and all.

And yet, the business case for older talent could not be clearer.

People over 50 hold the bulk of Australia’s disposable income. This cohort is growing, and it is underserved. If marketing’s purpose is to connect brands with audiences, and there is rightfully so much emphasis on “real audience insights,” why sideline the very people who understand this audience?

AI hiring tools, often trained on historical data reflecting skewed hiring patterns, can also reinforce discriminatory practices.

The result: algorithms that reward resume patterns associated with youth and penalise deviations from “norms” such as career breaks, long tenure, or dated terminology.

It is not just flawed, it is dangerous. And when hiring decisions are made in milliseconds without transparency or accountability, industries risk entrenching exclusion as a default.

The impact isn’t just professional, it’s personal. The erosion of opportunity for older workers leads to a crisis of identity, dignity, and financial security. These are individuals with decades of experience who now feel discarded both by people and by computer code.

An industry founded on insight and empathy cannot afford to automate indifference.

Thankfully, some initiatives are surfacing to counter the trend. The Experience Advocacy Taskforce is reshaping the Australian marketing and advertising industry by confronting ageism head-on.

Through research, advocacy, and collaboration, the taskforce is pushing for systemic change, highlighting the stark underrepresentation of professionals over 40 and providing resources to help agencies build age-inclusive workplaces.

Their work is practical, not performative – aiming to reverse the “silent exit” of seasoned talent and ensure that wisdom and longevity are seen as assets, not liabilities.

I count myself lucky. My own departure from the agency world wasn’t a retreat. It was a reinvention. Together with my similarly seasoned partner, we launched a consultancy that leverages what experience makes possible: fearless, pragmatic, straight-talking advice.

We didn’t just reclaim our voices. Instead we found clients who actively seek them. Because sometimes, what the problem demands is people who’ve solved the hard stuff before. And we have.

Still, isolated success doesn’t solve a systemic problem. To meaningfully dismantle ageism in Australia’s marketing and media industries and leaders must demand transparency in hiring algorithms (not just in our industry but all industries), champion legislative protections against automated bias, reframe experience as a strategic asset, and embed mentorship and multi-generational collaboration into standard practice.

Most of all, industries must remember what they claim to value: empathy, cultural insight, and human understanding.

These are not skills picked up in bootcamps or mimicked by AI.

They are earned over time, shaped by lived experience, and critical to reaching an audience that is, itself, ageing.

Ageism, whether human or machine-driven, guts the very credibility these industries depend on. The fight against it is not just ethical, it’s essential.

Kieran Moore is co-founder and principal at Brangwin & Moore.