How AI is Transforming Job Interviews: Opportunities and Challenges in 2025
Discover how artificial intelligence is changing the hiring process, its benefits for companies, challenges for job seekers, and best practices to maintain a human touch in 2025.
Introduction
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a core part of modern hiring. From screening resumes to conducting interviews, companies are embracing AI to save time and reduce costs. But while this technology offers efficiency, it raises critical questions about fairness, transparency, and the overall candidate experience.
Why Companies Are Turning to AI in Hiring
- Faster and cost-effective recruitment
- Efficient screening of hundreds of resumes
- Identifying top candidates using smart algorithms
According to a Resume Now report, over 96% of U.S. hiring professionals now use AI for tasks like resume analysis and screening.
The Candidate Experience: Why Some Job Seekers Feel Uncomfortable
Many candidates are surprised to discover their interviewer is not human but an AI bot. This often feels impersonal and awkward.
For example, Wafa Shafiq, a job seeker in Canada, applied for a marketing role and was scheduled for an interview with “Alex.” A quick search revealed Alex wasn’t a person—it was an AI recruiter. Shafiq described the experience as “cold but efficient,” noting there was no small talk or personal connection.
The Risks of Over-Reliance on AI in Hiring
- Potential bias in algorithms affecting fair hiring
- Lack of human touch for evaluating personality and soft skills
- Negative impact on the candidate’s perception of company culture
Research from the Wharton School warns that relying entirely on AI for screening and evaluating candidates can create ethical and legal challenges.
Candidates Are Using AI Too
AI isn’t just a tool for recruiters—candidates are leveraging it as well. Some use ChatGPT or similar tools to generate answers for interviews, but this can backfire if they can’t handle follow-up questions beyond those pre-written responses.
Best Practices for Ethical AI Hiring
- Be Transparent: Inform candidates when AI will be used in the hiring process.
- Keep Human Interaction: Add at least one live human touchpoint during interviews.
- Use AI as a Support Tool: AI should enhance—not replace—human judgment.
FAQ Section (Optimized for Featured Snippets):
1. Are AI job interviews legal?
Yes, AI interviews are legal, but companies must comply with privacy and anti-discrimination laws, which vary by region.
2. How should I prepare for an AI interview?
Speak clearly, maintain good body language, and be ready for direct, structured questions.
3. Can AI accurately assess soft skills?
AI can analyze language and tone, but it struggles to measure emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills.
4. Will AI replace recruiters?
No. AI is designed to assist recruiters, not replace them, as human judgment remains crucial for cultural fit and decision-making.
Trusted External Sources:
Kendall McGill knew something was off just moments into the interview call.
“It sounded like a standard AI voice,” she recalls. “You can usually tell when you’re speaking to a real person.”
McGill had applied for a project management role but wasn’t informed beforehand that the interview would be conducted by an AI agent. After answering the first question, she decided to hang up.
“I wasn’t angry, but it definitely made me uncomfortable,” says McGill, who lives in Baltimore. “I prefer speaking with real people and having those genuine interactions.”
McGill isn’t the only one. Increasingly, job seekers are being interviewed by AI systems—sometimes without prior notice. Employers are adopting AI to streamline hiring, cut costs, and speed up the process. However, for many applicants, the experience feels detached and impersonal.
Why Companies Are Using AI in Hiring
Businesses are leveraging AI to identify the best candidates efficiently. According to a recent report from Resume Now, which surveyed over 900 U.S. hiring professionals, 96% said they use AI in recruiting tasks like resume screening and analysis. While the survey didn’t confirm how many use AI for interviews, 94% of respondents believe AI screening tools effectively identify top talent, and about 73% reported faster hiring timelines thanks to AI.
Career specialists say it’s no surprise that businesses are turning to AI—it’s often faster and more cost-effective than hiring traditional recruiters. However, experts caution that over-reliance on automation could introduce bias and harm the overall candidate experience.
“It’s crucial that AI doesn’t completely remove the human touch from the hiring process,” says Keith Spencer, a career expert at Resume Now. “Employers need to consider how job seekers feel when interacting solely with AI instead of a real person.” He adds that the hiring experience often gives candidates their first impression of a company’s culture—and that impression can influence long-term retention.
An Unexpected Interview Experience
Wafa Shafiq from Mississauga, Canada, also encountered an AI recruiter unexpectedly when applying for a marketing specialist position last fall.
After applying through a recruitment agency, she received an email to schedule a video interview with “Alex from Apriora.” A quick search revealed that Alex was not a human recruiter, but an AI system.
Ultimately, the interview was “better than I expected,” Shafiq says. The AI asked six or seven questions and even allowed her to ask a few of her own. While it managed basic queries well, it struggled with specific or complex questions.
“The experience felt cold but efficient,” she explains. “There was no small talk, no real opportunity to connect the way you do with a human recruiter, which was a little strange. It felt somewhat dystopian—but very to the point.”
Shafiq never heard back about the role, but says she’d be open to another AI interview—provided there’s some level of human interaction. Even a simple notification would make a big difference.
“A quick heads-up like, ‘This will be an AI interview and here’s how to prepare,’ would make me feel like the company wants me to succeed,” she explains. “Instead, it felt like, ‘Just pick a slot and show up,’ which was impersonal.”
Keith Spencer from Resume Now agrees that candidates should never be blindsided.
“You shouldn’t expect to speak with a real person only to find yourself talking to an AI avatar,” he says. “This all comes back to transparency. If a company uses AI, candidates need to be informed in advance.”
What Happens After the AI Interview?
Matthew Bidwell, a management professor at the Wharton School, notes that AI-led interviews are similar to older one-way video tools, which were typically reviewed by humans afterward. Now, he worries AI could be used for both screening and decision-making—a shift he finds “quite alarming.”
“Early research on large language models indicates they carry built-in race and gender biases,” Bidwell warns. “That raises serious legal and ethical concerns.”
Studies, including work by Joy Buolamwini, founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, have confirmed evidence of gender and racial bias in some AI systems.
Candidates Are Using AI Too
Eric Lu, co-founder of the video-editing startup Kapwing, had an unusual experience while interviewing a candidate for an engineering position. Initially, the conversation was smooth—the candidate appeared enthusiastic about the company and seemed like a strong fit. But as the discussion progressed, inconsistencies started to emerge.
“What they were saying about the technology didn’t align with real-world scenarios,” Lu recalls.
The candidate claimed to have worked on a daycare app and built a feature to send text messages to parents. However, when explaining why they needed to send 30 messages at once and what those texts contained, they couldn’t provide an answer.
Later, when Lu asked about “lazy loading”—a technique where part of a webpage loads first for faster interaction—the candidate was again unable to specify what content they prioritized on their app.
“That’s a basic question if you’ve actually worked on it,” Lu says. “It was shocking when the candidate just went completely silent.”
When confronted, the candidate admitted to using AI to prepare for the interview.
“This person had a legitimate LinkedIn profile, attended a reputable college, and had real job experience,” Lu explains. “But they still opted to rely on AI for interview prep.”
Lu suspects the candidate used AI-generated answers beforehand and memorized them. When asked questions outside that script, the conversation fell apart.
Bidwell warns that candidates relying on AI-generated scripts during interviews is “hugely problematic” for employers. His suggested fix? Bring back in-person interviews.
At Kapwing, Lu and his team had already encountered AI-assisted applications before this incident. To prevent “bot” candidates or those heavily dependent on AI, they implemented several safeguards: verifying applicants’ online presence, confirming previous employment with real companies, and requiring live video interviews. Still, the experience left Lu questioning the future of recruitment.
“What should our interview process look like in the age of AI? How do we adapt?” he asks. “There are a lot of unanswered questions.”
A Resume Now survey revealed that 79% of hiring professionals support regulating AI-generated content in job applications. While companies are increasingly using AI to speed up hiring, they’re also concerned about candidates leveraging the same technology. “It might feel contradictory,” says Spencer, “but I understand both sides. The key is ethical use—AI should enhance the process, not replace it.”
Lu says Kapwing hasn’t adopted AI for interviewing, though he understands why other companies might. “It’s a tricky situation,” he admits.
“As a candidate, I’d feel disappointed,” Lu says. “But as a business owner receiving dozens or even hundreds of applications daily, I get it. There just aren’t enough human hours to give every candidate that personal touch.”
For job seekers like McGill, though, that human connection is essential.
“There are certain auditory and visual cues you only get when talking to a real person,” she says. “That’s something a computer can’t replicate—and I just didn’t want to do it.”