Some Tech Firms Add In-Person Interviews as AI Weakens Remote Tests
Business Insider reported on July 31 that some technology employers are adding middle or final in-person interview rounds because candidates can use AI during virtual coding tests and interviews. Greenhouse's 2025 survey of 4,136 participants found that 39% of U.S. hiring managers were conducting more in-person interviews to verify candidates, showing the concern predates the latest comments.
Business Insider reported on July 31 that some technology employers are adding in-person interview rounds because generative AI can weaken the signal from remote coding tests and virtual interviews. Stanford economist Nick Bloom told the Financial Times' Economics Show that candidates can obtain answers during an online interview and read them back, making it harder to know whether the interviewer is assessing the person or an AI assistant.
Bloom described firms moving middle or final rounds back into the office. The report does not establish that every technology employer is making the same change, and it also documents a countertrend: some companies explicitly permit AI and redesign assessments around problem-solving, judgment, and project work.
Survey data shows a broader verification problem
Greenhouse's 2025 AI in Hiring report surveyed 4,136 job seekers, recruiters, and hiring managers across the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, and Germany. In the U.S. sample, 39% of hiring managers said they were conducting more in-person interviews to verify candidates. Greenhouse also reported that 65% had caught applicants using AI deceptively, including reading generated scripts, hiding prompt injections in resumes, or appearing as deepfakes.
Those figures are vendor survey results, not a census of employers. They nevertheless support the broader point that authenticity and assessment quality have become operational concerns in hiring. Axios reported in August 2025 that Google, Cisco, and McKinsey had restored face-to-face stages in parts of their recruiting processes, while one staffing firm said requests for in-person interviews among its clients had risen.
Employers are testing different rules for AI
A return to the office is not the only response. Business Insider reported that Google piloted an approved AI assistant for a software-engineering interview round, while several AI-focused startups allowed candidates to use AI. Cisco was described as shifting from conventional coding challenges toward project-based exercises that show how candidates work in AI-enabled environments.
For data and engineering teams, the practical issue is assessment design. Employers need to state whether AI is allowed, test reasoning that can be explained and defended, and separate tool fluency from the underlying skills a role requires. In-person rounds can reduce unseen assistance, but clear rules and job-relevant work samples determine whether the resulting signal is actually useful.
Key Points
- 1Some technology employers are adding in-person middle or final interview rounds because AI can undermine remote coding tests and virtual interviews.
- 2Greenhouse found that 39% of U.S. hiring managers in its 2025 survey were conducting more in-person interviews to verify candidates.
- 3Other employers are allowing AI and redesigning assessments around reasoning, project work, and transparent tool use rather than banning it outright.
Scoring Rationale
The story documents a concrete change in hiring practice and is supported by survey data, with direct relevance to data and engineering assessment design. Its impact is moderate because employer responses vary and the evidence describes a trend rather than a universal policy change.
Sources
Public references used for this report.
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