Sundar Pichai Resumes In-Person Interviews to Curb AI Cheating

Following the pandemic, virtual meetings and interviews became the new standard in Silicon Valley. From startups to tech behemoths, most businesses have shifted to online hiring processes to increase efficiency and reduce costs. However, with AI changing work dynamics, there's a new problem these companies are facing—AI-assisted cheating during virtual hiring. To address this, Google has decided to reinstate in-person job interviews to more accurately assess a candidate's true abilities.

Key Highlights

• Google reintroduces at least one face-to-face interview round for engineering and programming roles to combat AI cheating. 
• The move follows internal pressure and widespread reports of over half of candidates using AI tools during virtual technical assessments.

Earlier this year, in February, during an internal town hall meeting, Google employees directly addressed the issue of candidates using AI tools to cheat in interviews. One employee inquired, "Can we get our onsite job interviews back? There are numerous email threads discussing this topic. If the budget is limited, can we move the candidates to an office or environment that we can control?"

Brian Ong, Google's VP of Recruiting, admitted that the challenge was real. While online interviews helped the company cut the hiring time by nearly two weeks, he admitted they lacked the authenticity of in-person assessments. "We definitely have more work to do to integrate how AI is now more prevalent in the interview process," Ong stated at the town hall.

Employees received high-level support from CEO Sundar Pichai, who confirmed that Google will take a hybrid approach to recruitment. Pichai stated on the Lex Fridman podcast in June, "Given we all work hybrid, I think it's worth considering some fraction of the interviews being in person. I believe it will help both candidates better understand Google's culture, which will benefit both parties."

He also stated that at least one round of in-person interviews will now be required for certain positions, particularly those that require practical assessments such as coding challenges.  "We are making sure we'll introduce at least one round of in-person interviews for people, just to make sure the fundamentals are there," says Pichai.

Also Read: Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai's Net Worth Surpasses $1 Billion Mark

Significantly, Google is not the only company concerned about AI-assisted cheating in interviews. According to reports, more than half of candidates in some organisations are suspected of using unauthorised AI tools during virtual interviews. That reality has sparked a wave of policy changes throughout the corporate world.

Amazon, for example, now requires candidates to formally state that they will not be using AI tools during interviews. Anthropic, an AI safety company, has also explicitly prohibited applicants from using such technology during the recruitment process. 

Consulting firms such as McKinsey and Deloitte, as well as technology companies such as Cisco, have reinstated in-person interviews for specific roles. Deloitte has already resumed in-person sessions for its UK graduate programme.