Technical assessments are evolving in response to AI advancements in recruitment

Tests must adapt to keep pace with evolving tools

Today, a technical test completed at home may reveal less about a candidate than it did a few years ago. With tools capable of writing code, analyzing data, and generating answers in seconds, companies are finding it harder to determine how much of the result is the candidate’s own work.

This shift has already impacted recruitment processes. Some companies have increased the number of live or in-person stages, while others have adopted a different approach: they allow the use of AI and observe how candidates interact with it during the task.

AI can be part of the interview process

For example, DoorDash has replaced part of its traditional programming interviews with a 60-minute work session where candidates can use AI tools. During the exercise, candidates share their screen and explain their reasoning, while evaluators observe how they understand the problem, test solutions, correct errors, and make decisions.

The logic has changed. Instead of trying to determine if someone can program without help, the company aims to assess whether they can effectively work with the available resources. Other companies are following a similar path outside the tech industry.

According to the Irish Times, consultancies and companies in sectors such as marketing, research, and law have started including exercises where candidates must demonstrate how they use AI to analyze data, improve responses, or solve professional problems.

When companies don’t want AI involved

In processes where the goal remains to assess individual reasoning, live interviews become more important. For instance, Anthropic informs candidates that AI use is not permitted during in-person interviews unless authorized by the company. The reason is to observe how a person thinks and solves problems in real time.

This creates two coexisting models: processes that prohibit AI to assess individual knowledge, and processes that allow the technology to measure the ability to use it professionally.

For job seekers, preparation is also changing. Memorizing answers can be less effective when interviewers can ask for explanations, change the problem mid-conversation, or question the reason for a decision. Knowing how to use AI has become a skill that can be assessed, but understanding one’s own work remains essential to sustain the conversation.