If you interview people remotely, a few candidates are probably getting help from AI while they answer. Most are honest, and these steps are fair to them too. Here is how to stop AI use in interviews, or at least make it harder to use and easier to notice, with a sample policy you can send to candidates.
How to stop AI use in interviews in five steps
- Tell candidates before the interview what help is allowed.
- Check that the person on camera is the person who applied.
- Show your questions in a way that AI tools have trouble reading.
- Ask follow-up questions about the candidate's own work.
- Write down what you notice, and review it with your team before you decide.
How common AI interview cheating is
In a 2026 Resume Genius survey of 1,000 US job seekers, 22% said they had used AI in real time during an interview. In a 2025 interviewing.io survey, 81% of interviewers at large technology companies said they had suspected a candidate of using AI to cheat. There are more figures on our page of AI interview cheating statistics.
How candidates use AI during an interview
- An interview assistant that listens to the call, reads the screen and shows answers in a window that some apps hide from screen sharing. See how AI interview assistants work and what is Cluely.
- A chatbot on a phone, often in voice mode.
- A browser extension that answers the questions on the page.
- Someone off camera passing on answers.
Before the interview
Send your rules on AI use with the invitation, and repeat them when the interview starts. Most people follow a rule they've been told about. Here is a sample policy you can adapt:
You may use AI tools to help you prepare your application and résumé. If you use AI in a take-home task, please tell us which tools you used and how. During live interviews, please answer on your own, without chatbots, interview assistant apps, browser extensions that answer questions, or help from another person. Paper notes are fine, and you can ask us to repeat a question at any time. If you need an adjustment, such as extra time or screen reader support, please tell us before your interview.
Compare the person on camera with their ID or profile photo, and confirm the email address they applied with. This also helps with deepfake candidates and fake identities.
Plan questions about the candidate's own work, with two or three follow-up questions for each, because AI tools don't know those details. See how to stop AI during an interview with the questions you ask and how to stop AI in live coding interviews.
During the interview
An assistant can only answer a question it can read or hear. dontapplyai draws each question so that people read it easily and AI tools have much more trouble, with a decoy question beside it that assistants reading the screen often answer. Many assistants also listen to the call, so avoid reading a written question aloud word for word.
Ask short follow-up questions straight away, such as "Why did you choose that?" An assistant needs a few seconds to produce an answer, and a quick follow-up question leaves little time to read one.
Watch for a pause before easy questions, eyes that move as if reading, and answers that sound like summaries. Nervous people pause too, so no single sign proves anything. Note what you saw and carry on. In the dontapplyai control window you can mark each question as a decoy answer, a long pause or an answer that didn't fit. See the signs a candidate is using AI.
After the interview
Review your notes with the panel before you decide. If you're unsure, invite the candidate to a short follow-up with a different interviewer. A candidate who did the work can usually explain it in more detail the second time.
Measures that work less well than expected
- Room tours. A phone can be picked up again a minute later.
- AI text detectors. They are unreliable on short spoken answers and can flag people who simply speak formally.
- Lockdown software. It can't see a second device, and many candidates don't want to install it.
- Holding every interview in person. It works, but it makes hiring slower and more expensive. See should you go back to in-person interviews?
Frequently asked questions
Can you completely stop AI use in an interview?
No. You can make it slow and unreliable enough that most candidates don't try, and the ones who do are easier to spot.
Should you tell candidates you're checking for AI use?
Yes. It's fairer to them, and you won't have to decide on the day what counts as cheating.
Is it unfair to candidates to stop AI use?
The rules apply to everyone, and they protect honest candidates from being compared with answers from a chatbot. Agree on any adjustment, such as extra time, before the interview.
Does dontapplyai record the interview?
No. It doesn't record the call or use the candidate's camera or microphone. It works alongside Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet, and you decide what you see means. You can try it free for 14 days.
