In-person job interview replacing AI cheating interviews!

ComputerWorld.com reported that “AI-enabled cheating has surged, particularly in virtual technical job interviews. Would-be job candidates increasingly use AI tools off-camera to feed them answers, such as responses to coding challenges, and in some cases turning to deepfake technology to impersonate applicants.”  The August 26, 2025 article entitled “To counter AI cheating, companies bring back in-person job interviews” (https://www.computerworld.com/article/4044734/to-counter-ai-cheating-companies-bring-back-in-person-job-interviews.html) included these comments:

According to a recent Gartner survey, 72.4% of recruiting leaders reported they are currently conducting interviews in-person to combat fraud. Gartner defines candidate fraud as a would-be hire that pretends to be someone else and/or has someone else complete an interview pretending to be them.

Google, Cisco and McKinsey & Co. have all re-instituted in-person interviews for some job candidates over the past year. “Remote work and advancements in AI have made it easier than ever for fake candidates to infiltrate the hiring process,” said Scott McGuckin, vice president of global talent acquisition at Cisco. “Identifying these threats is our priority, which is why we are adapting our hiring process to include increased verification steps and enhanced background checks that may involve an in-person component.

“We’ve also rolled out targeted training to recruiters and hiring managers to drive awareness of these issues,” McGuckin said, adding that AI can be used in interviews when relevant, such as during specific exercises. Cisco has an “evolving framework” to ensure both technical and human skills are fairly assessed, and candidates are informed when AI use is appropriate.

“If a candidate is not explicitly invited to use AI during the assessment process, then it should be considered off-limits,” McGuckin said.

“As AI continues to transform work, we believe face-to-face interactions are necessary to assess the human qualities that can’t be automated and that are core to how we partner with clients — things like judgment, empathy, creativity, and connection,” a McKinsey spokesperson said in an email reply to Computerworld. “While meeting candidates directly also reduces the risk of AI misuse, the greater value is in revealing human strengths no technology can replicate.”

A Google spokesperson said the company has become more wary of AI abuses by job candidates and banned the use of AI tools during virtual interviews.

“For engineers, we also want to make sure candidates have the fundamental coding skills necessary for the roles they’re interviewing for,” the spokesperson said. “It’s [also] important for candidates to come to our offices to experience our culture earlier in the process to get them excited about working here.”

Not a big surprise!