Some Job Interviews Now Use AI
Wednesday, October 7, 2026216 words3 minutes2624 reads
AI is becoming more visible in job interviews at the screening stage. Candidates may interact with a chatbot, an automated phone system, a video tool, or an on-screen avatar. In China, reports during the autumn hiring season said an AI digital interviewer gave some candidates an uncanny-valley reaction: the face seemed human but unnatural.
A 2026 Greenhouse survey of 2,950 active job seekers included 1,200 U.S. respondents. Unless stated otherwise, its release said the findings referred to the U.S. group. It found 63% had been interviewed by AI, 38% had left a hiring process because it included an AI interview, and 70% were not clearly told in advance that AI would evaluate them.
These results do not tell us what every AI interviewer measures. Some systems may only collect or organize answers, while others score parts of an interview. HireVue says its AI-scored video assessments analyze a transcript of the candidate's spoken words. It does not use facial expressions, body language, appearance, background, or tone of voice.
The policy issue is growing. The EU AI Act lists systems used to recruit, filter applications, or evaluate candidates as high-risk. Separate EU guidance says using emotion-recognition AI in recruitment is prohibited. Candidates can ask whether AI will be used, what it assesses, and how human reviewers take part.
