May 14, 2026
In the burgeoning era of artificial intelligence, experience working with AI can be a valuable skill for those looking for work. But Google appears to be taking that prerequisite to another level.
The tech giant is reportedly experimenting with a new process that will allow software engineering candidates to use AI during an interview, according to Business Insider's review of an internal document (1). This document says the change is part of an effort to "better align with the modern engineering landscape."
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Beginning in H2 2026, Google will allow candidates to use an "approved" AI assistant — which will be Gemini, the company's own AI platform, a spokesperson confirmed with Business Insider — during the "code comprehension" round of the interview.
Google will reportedly conduct tests on the new interview format with junior and mid-level roles in select areas in the U.S. If the new process proves to be successful, the company plans to expand it to other teams and regions throughout the country.
'Interviewers will evaluate AI fluency'
According to the internal document reviewed by Business Insider, software engineering candidates will be asked to "read, debug and optimize" a database of existing code and will be evaluated based on "AI fluency, including prompt engineering, output validation and debugging skills."
"We're always evolving our interview processes to ensure we're recruiting and hiring the best talent," Brian Ong, Google's vice president of recruiting, shared with Business Insider (2). "As a part of that, we're rolling out a pilot for software engineering interviews to be more reflective of how our teams are operating in the AI era."
After OpenAI and Anthropic launched new models that significantly improved coding capabilities in late 2025, Google is adjusting its interview process so that it reflects the changes that now affect those in software developer roles.
As The Verge reports, AI now generates 75% of the new code created at Google (3) and that trend seems to be a theme among the big tech brands. Greg Brockman, the president of OpenAI, recently revealed that AI, which used to generate 20% of the company's code, now creates 80% (4).
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Google is not alone
Google isn't the only tech company to include AI in its interview process, nor is it the first.
Canva, a web-based graphic design platform, announced in June 2025 that it not only will allow, but expects its interviewees to use AI during an interview (5).
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"The nature of software engineering is changing rapidly," the company shared on its website. "At Canva, we believe our hiring process should evolve alongside the tools and practices our engineers use every day.
"That's why we're excited to share that we now expect Backend, Machine Learning and Frontend engineering candidates to use AI tools like Copilot, Cursor and Claude during our technical interviews."
Cognition, an AI coding company, is also on board.
"I guess this is like asking a kid to take a math test without a calculator," Emily Cohen, leader of people and operations at Cognition, told Business Insider about not allowing AI use in interviews (6). "For the bulk of building something similar to what you would do on the role, you can and should use AI tools."
How AI is transforming job interviews
Before tech companies began revamping their job interviews, many people were already using AI during the hiring process.
These days it's fairly common to record and transcribe job interviews using AI and many companies also use it to vet resumes and analyze skills and keywords (7). As KTVU Fox 2 reports, more than half of today's job applicants use AI to write resumes and cover letters (8).
Meanwhile, interviews that are completely conducted by AI are on the rise. As Greenhouse reports, a survey of nearly 3,000 job applicants found that nearly two-thirds had gone through an interview that was conducted by AI, which is a 13-point increase from 2025 (9).
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The reviews among job applicants aren't great, as nearly 40% said they've ended job interviews that were conducted by AI, while another 12% said they would if they were ever to experience one.
"The most common reason was the realization the interview was a pre-recorded, AI-generated video with no human present, closely followed by unclear disclosure by the company of AI's involvement in the process," HR Executive reports (10). "Transparency is a big factor: Seventy percent of applicants said the employer didn't clearly disclose that AI would be involved in the interview process; nearly a quarter only found out once the interview started."
But companies aren't the only ones using AI during interviews. In fact, one in five American employees have reportedly admitted to using AI during job interviews, while 55% believe this practice has become the new norm, according to a survey from Blind, a social community for workplace discussions (11).
With plenty of companies and applicants both using AI during job interviews, this practice could very well end up being quite normal in the near future, adding a layer of needed transparency.
"Interviews just need to get with the times," an employee from Intuit shared (12). "It's using the tools at your disposal to solve problems the same way you will solve them on the job."
Article Sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines.
Business Insider (1),(2),(6); The Verge (3); The Next Web (4); Canva (5); BBC (7); YouTube (8); Greenhouse (9); HR Executive (10); HC Mag (11),(12)
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Chase is an Associate Editor for Wise Publishing. He formerly worked at Yahoo Canada as an editor on both the News and Sports teams.
