didnt they already do that? Just denying until the ultra perfect fit worker appears?

By simple keyword filtering, yeah. Anyone who spent 10 min doing a websearch on modern application processes would know to take keywords from the job post description and use them in a resume.

In the past ~5 years my company started using pre-recorded video screening too. So a candidate was asked 1-3 questions, they submitted recordings of themselves answering, then hiring managers could watch them later.

As much as I dislike it from the perspective of a potential candidate, I like it from the perspective of a hiring manager. It was asynchronous, so we didn’t have to dance around finding a meeting time that worked for everyone. It self-filtered a lot of candidates who didn’t really want the job or who were uncomfortable with zoom/videoconferencing technology (a requirement for this job). It was very apparent who prepped and who didn’t. It was an easy “no thanks” filter when they submitted recordings of themselves, with no time constraints mind you, wearing totally work inappropriate clothes with filthy backgrounds and an unprofessional attitude. That’s the one that got me the most: the tool gave unlimited time to prep, unlimited time to record, and unlimited number of reattempts. Yet I still got a person wearing workout clothes, unkempt hair, shelves of undresses dolls in the background, and a stunning lack of understanding over an easily websearchable question. It saved hours of time between HR and the interview panel to just say “thanks, no thanks” off the submitted video.

I see AI-based filtering of candidates turning out the same. The people who get it and know how to write a resume and interview will be fine. The people who already struggle will struggle more.

Your company requiring video submissions for a fucking application is the easiest "this company is batshit insane and there's no possibility working for them could ever be worth it" red flag I've ever seen.

Yep. I literally told a company there was no legitimate legal reason they could possibly want this, and good luck with their search. What better way to practice racism and ageism in the hiring process?

Legal?

I get that some people would decline, sure. But what do you think is illegal about it?

What legal reason(s) do you have for needing to see their appearance when making a decision on whether to hire them? You may have some, such as requiring a professional appearance. These need to be spelled out in the job requirements. It also opens the doors to claims of illegal discrimination, since this will be on full display. In the US, that includes race, age, and gender. Having a required video can also reveal protected classes like familial status and religion, depending on what’s in the background.

Whether an action is “Legal” is almost always dependent on context, and the lawyers/courts involved. A common tactic by racist nightclubs is to set a dress code, particularly on shoes. The argument is they aren’t refusing entry based on race, but on clothing. But the unauthorized shoes are the ones commonly worn by people of the race they’re discriminating against. Different courts have made different rulings on whether this (and similar actions) constitute racial discrimination.