{"slug": "how-to-best-talk-about-ai-in-job-interviews-even-if-you-re-skeptical-of-it", "title": "How to best talk about AI in job interviews — even if you're skeptical of it", "summary": "Job seekers should expect to discuss AI in interviews as employer adoption rises, with Gallup data showing US employees using AI at work increased from 21% in Q2 2023 to 50% in Q1 2026, according to Business Insider. Hiring experts advise candidates to prepare by describing a challenge, how they used AI to solve it, and the outcome, while being honest about limited experience and showing willingness to learn. Kareem Osman, vice president at Robert Half, said employers value adaptability, practical application, and human judgment alongside AI use.", "body_md": "# How to best talk about AI in job interviews — even if you're skeptical of it\n\n[Business Insider](https://www.businessinsider.com)\n\nDuring interviews, you may be asked about your experience using AI tools. Here's what to say.\n\n- As more employers adopt AI, job seekers are getting asked how they use these tools.\n- Even if you have concerns, there are ways to effectively discuss AI in an interview.\n- People who haven't used AI much should be honest and show they want to learn, said hiring pros.\n\nWhen Cristina Estupiñán was job searching after a layoff, potential employers would ask about her [enthusiasm for AI](https://www.businessinsider.com/software-engineer-developer-ai-coding-views-2026-7) during interviews.\n\nUnfortunately, that enthusiasm was lacking.\n\n\"I have to make up something about what excites me about AI because, frankly, nothing really [excites me about AI](https://www.businessinsider.com/layoff-ai-drove-software-engineer-to-pursue-nursing-2026-7),\" Estupiñán, who worked in software development, previously told Business Insider.\n\nAs more companies [adopt AI tools](https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-ai-push-employee-goals-tool-adoption-2-026-3) — and more [job postings mention the technology](https://www.businessinsider.com/job-postings-ai-demand-hiring-opportunities-2026-7) — employers are asking candidates to discuss AI during interviews. Job seekers don't necessarily have to become AI evangelists, hiring experts say, though they should be prepared to explain how they've used the technology and how they think about it.\n\nLike any other interview topic, it's worth practicing how you'll describe your experience with AI — or explain why you haven't used it much.\n\n**Expect AI to come up**\n\nCandidates should expect interviewers to ask [how they've used AI](https://www.businessinsider.com/kpmg-trust-in-ai-study-2025-how-employees-use-ai-2025-4) in previous roles, how comfortable they are with it, and where they see it fitting into their work. Gallup survey results showed that the share of US employees using AI at work increased from 21% in the second quarter of 2023 to 50% in the first quarter of 2026.\n\nHiring managers want to understand whether and how a [prospective employee used AI](https://www.businessinsider.com/partner-with-ai-to-get-hired-and-win-job-interview-2025-10), said Kareem Osman, vice president and market director of technology talent solutions at the staffing firm Robert Half.\n\nHe said candidates can prepare by thinking about a challenge they had, how they used AI to overcome it, and the ultimate outcome.\n\n\"Highlighting those tangible results whenever possible is going to be something crucial with these sorts of questions,\" Osman said.\n\nHe added that employers place a lot of emphasis on practical application and business impact, so candidates should think about how they streamlined processes, sped up tasks, and supported decision-making.\n\n\"Employers are really trying to see individuals that are adaptable, that are embracing new technologies,\" Osman said, adding that hiring managers may also want candidates who can use AI without relying on it entirely. [Human judgment still matters](https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-reliance-decision-making-life-advice-cognitive-surrender-2026-6) in producing the final work, he said.\n\nJudgment calls and interpersonal skills are becoming increasingly important in the tech world. The era of hiring developers mainly for their coding ability is fading, Osman said, as companies seek out well-rounded engineers. Employers want people who can clearly communicate their work to others — including explaining how they use AI tools — and understand business needs.\n\nJob candidates can also use the interview to learn about the [employer's approach to AI](https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-in-action-company-workforce-strategies). Asking how the company uses the technology, what tools employees rely on, and what expectations exist for day-to-day use demonstrates inquisitiveness, Osman said.\n\n\"It shows curiosity and to see where the company's headed,\" he said, particularly if AI was a prominent topic in the interview.\n\nCandidates who are skeptical of AI don't need to pretend otherwise, said Vicki Salemi, a career expert with Monster. Instead, she recommends answering questions about the technology honestly and succinctly.\n\n\"Brevity is key without being curt about it,\" Salemi said.\n\nAt the same time, candidates who haven't used AI much don't have to apologize for it. She said they can explain that they haven't had many opportunities to do so in their roles before asking interviewers how the tech fits into the team's work. That approach, Salemi said, shows candidates are willing to learn without overstating their experience or enthusiasm.\n\nIf job seekers' concerns center on a particular area — such as the risks AI might pose to creative work — she said it's reasonable to instead emphasize ways they're comfortable using the technology, such as administrative tasks, scheduling, or logistics.\n\n\"You can focus on the things where you don't have a moral problem with it,\" Salemi said.\n\n**You don't have to love AI**\n\nBeing honest about limited experience is one thing. Making opposition to AI the focus of an interview is another, said Josh Bersin, an HR analyst and consultant.\n\nIf a job seeker tells a recruiter they don't believe in AI, \"you may have just lost your opportunity to get a job there,\" he said.\n\nUltimately, Bersin said candidates shouldn't assume employers have AI all figured out, either. Many companies are still experimenting with where the technology adds value, making it worthwhile to ask questions rather than write them off, he said.\n\n\"You might get into a conversation with a company that's more interesting than you realized,\" Bersin said.\n\nCandidates who remain [skeptical of AI](https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-prevent-employee-skepticism-push-back-gen-ai-2025-3) can still position themselves as strong hires, said Mohit Bhende, CEO and cofounder of the talent-[evaluation](/glossary/evaluation) platform Karat, by emphasizing qualities such as judgment, emotional intelligence, creativity, and problem-solving.\n\n\"People can thrive, even if they do have that disposition,\" he said.\n\nAs AI becomes a more commonplace workplace tool, he expects interviews to focus less on AI itself and more on how candidates think through problems.\n\n\"Demonstrate things that you can do that make yourself uniquely able,\" Bhende said.\n\n[Business Insider](https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-talk-about-ai-job-interviews-2026-7)\n\nGet AI news in your inbox\n\nDaily digest of what matters in AI.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/how-to-best-talk-about-ai-in-job-interviews-even-if-you-re-skeptical-of-it", "canonical_source": "https://www.machinebrief.com/news/how-to-best-talk-about-ai-in-job-interviews-even-if-youre-sk-6c0j", "published_at": "2026-07-26 09:34:01+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-07-26 09:59:27.596890+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["artificial-intelligence", "ai-tools", "ai-policy"], "entities": ["Business Insider", "Cristina Estupiñán", "Kareem Osman", "Robert Half", "Gallup"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/how-to-best-talk-about-ai-in-job-interviews-even-if-you-re-skeptical-of-it", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/how-to-best-talk-about-ai-in-job-interviews-even-if-you-re-skeptical-of-it.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/how-to-best-talk-about-ai-in-job-interviews-even-if-you-re-skeptical-of-it.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/how-to-best-talk-about-ai-in-job-interviews-even-if-you-re-skeptical-of-it.jsonld"}}