Company accidentally leaves hilariously tone deaf AI prompt in person's job-rejection email

Between recruiting scams, unpaid "assignments," and the anxiety of awaiting updates about which interview round you’ve reached, the modern job-hunting process is already stressful enough. We don’t need to also normalize the humiliation of receiving an AI-written rejection email.

Nonetheless, that’s exactly what happened to one apparent job seeker, who went online and shared a partially redacted note that clearly—and, let’s hope, accidentally—includes a prompt submitted to some kind of automated chatbot. It’s the kind of moment that makes you slightly embarrassed to be human, but luckily we got some excellent jokes out of it.

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Reddit user Glass_Spend1655 posted their screenshot in the r/mildlyinfuriating Subreddit, using the simple title, "This rejection email." The note, featuring the partial subject line of "Application update for position," reads as follows:

Hi [redacted,

Thank you for applying to [redacted]. Unfortunately, we will not be moving forward with your application at this time.

{{rejection_message}}

"Write a warm but generic rejection email that sounds polite yet firm. Do not mention specific reasons for rejection. Make the candidate feel like they were strongly considered even if they weren’t. Remember to use candidate name and company name variables."

We appreciate your interest in [redacted] and wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

Warm regards,

[redacted] Team

The post quickly earned thousands of reactions, running the gamut from horror to hilarity. "The design is very human," one person wrote. Another added, "That’s just pure laziness and next to no attention to detail." A personal favorite: "Forward this to the CEO. Attach your CV. In the subject, write: 'I can do a better job than your HR.'" (One bleakly funny reply: "CEO probably demanded they start using AI so that the CEO can use that as justification to fire some of them.")

Here’s the top comment:

Hi {{company}},

{{rejection_confirmation}}

"Write a slightly pissed and sarcastic reply to their generated rejection mail. Do not directly insult them, but make slight remarks about their intellect."

Luke warm regards, Me

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One user urged the OP to "name and shame!"—a popular sentiment on social media when workers vent about companies’ less-than-ideal policies and practices. But not everyone had such a frustrated take: "You know what, at least there was the intention to respectfully let the candidate know," someone wrote. "I’ll take that over them not bothering at all." Ouch. True, though!

Some Redditors even argued that the post was just a spoof. "This is fake," one person said. "No one writing that prompt would include the 'even if they weren't' part, they would just tell ChatGPT to 'make the candidate feel like they were strongly considered.'" You be the judge. Either way, it feels true to life, and that feels like the entire point of sharing the email.

AI, clearly, is now a permanent fixture of 21st-century life, along with its associated technological advancements, awkward emails, and threats to job security. In May 2025, a lung doctor went viral with a TikTok video explaining the rise of artificial intelligence in his field. In the clip, he explains how he’s been reading and analyzing X-rays over a two-decade career, illustrating that skill by highlighting some lung abnormalities identified as pneumonia. Then he demonstrates how an AI filter makes that same diagnosis almost instantly. "I’m about to lose my job," he says, hopefully with a hint of sarcasm. "Now you don’t need professional eyes to look at these X-rays. You just have artificial intelligence…I’m going to be applying to McDonald’s soon. I hope they have some openings."

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