As artificial intelligence increasingly influences the workplace, Google is taking steps to address a new hiring challenge—AI-assisted cheating during virtual interviews. To counter this issue, the company has decided to reintroduce in-person job interviews, aiming to more accurately evaluate candidates’ genuine skills.
The move follows concerns raised internally earlier this year. During a February town hall meeting, Google employees questioned whether the company could bring back physical interviews to ensure authenticity in the hiring process. One employee asked, “Can we get onsite job interviews back? There are many email threads about this topic. If budget is a constraint, can we get the candidates to an office or environment we can control?” according to a CNBC report.
Acknowledging the problem, Brian Ong, Google’s Vice President of Recruiting, admitted that while online interviews helped speed up hiring by nearly two weeks, they often lacked credibility. “We definitely have more work to do to integrate how AI is now more prevalent in the interview process,” Ong said.
The initiative has received top-level support from CEO Sundar Pichai, who outlined Google’s revised recruitment strategy. Speaking on the Lex Fridman Podcast in June, Pichai said, “Given we all work hybrid, I think it’s worth thinking about some fraction of the interviews being in person. I think it’ll help both the candidates understand Google’s culture and I think it’s good for both sides.” He further emphasized that at least one in-person round will be mandatory for certain roles, especially those requiring practical assessments such as coding tests. “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,” he added.
Google’s decision comes as part of a wider trend across industries, where companies are grappling with the rise of AI misuse in hiring. Reports suggest that in some organisations, more than half of candidates are suspected of relying on unauthorised AI tools during interviews.
Other companies have also responded with stricter measures. Amazon now requires applicants to formally declare they will not use AI tools in interviews, while Anthropic has explicitly banned such practices. Consulting majors like McKinsey and Deloitte, along with tech firms such as Cisco, have reinstated face-to-face interviews for select roles. Deloitte has already introduced in-person assessments for its UK graduate programme.
