Tech firms are bringing job interviews back in person to stop AI use, RTO guru says

Tech companies are bringing job candidates back into the office for in-person interviews to prevent AI use during hiring, according to Stanford economics professor Nick Bloom, who said AI has undermined virtual coding tests. Greenhouse's 2025 report found that 39% of US hiring managers were conducting more in-person interviews to verify candidates, while some firms like Google and vibe-coding startups are embracing AI in interviews.

Tech companies are bringing job candidates back into the office for an extra screening measure: whether they are using AI. Nick Bloom, a Stanford economics professor known for his research on remote work, says AI is undermining the virtual coding tests https://www.businessinsider.com/how-ai-integration-transforming-software-engineering-hiring-2026-1 and interviews that tech firms have long used to assess candidates. "A lot of tech firms used to hire folks based on coding tests. They can't do that anymore," Bloom said in an episode of the Financial Times' "Economics Show" podcast released on Friday. Candidates can use AI prompts during online interviews https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-talk-about-ai-job-interviews-2026-7 and simply read out the answers, he said, causing some tech firms to hold final and middle interview rounds in person. "Are you interviewing Claude or the person?" Bloom said, referring to Anthropic's chatbot. Interview RTO There is some data that backs the broader shift toward more in-person hiring. Greenhouse's 2025 AI in Hiring Report https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6668a687e71e2722fccb8357/691b3f85d9304d0f30b57773 5c450b1063154012cfded00c662564df Greenhouse-2025 AI in Hiring Report.pdf , based on more than 4,100 job seekers, recruiters, and hiring managers across the US, UK, Ireland, and Germany, found that 39% of US hiring managers were conducting more in-person interviews "to verify" candidates. Its 2026 report https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/66bf84e70c6fc57dbbe0187e/698a4ef954b8bc007b2249b8 hero-content-AI-in-Hiring-Report EMEA 2026.pdf , with a smaller sample size and only covering the UK, Ireland, and Germany, showed a continuation of the trend. Greenhouse said employers were adding more hands-on steps to validate candidates' skills and fit amid worries about AI-assisted applications https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-bot-job-interview-white-collar-work-2026-7 and fraud. At the same time, some companies are encouraging the use of AI in interviews. Earlier this year, Business Insider reported that Google launched a pilot that lets software engineering https://www.businessinsider.com/google-job-interview-software-engineers-ai-assistant-coding-2026-5 candidates use an approved AI assistant, while vibe-coding startups, including Cognition, Base44, and Replit, have embraced AI https://www.businessinsider.com/recruiting-practices-ai-vibe-coding-startups-cognition-cursor-replit-interview-2026-7 use in technical hiring. Some of the employers allowing AI use in interviews https://www.businessinsider.com/software-engineering-job-technical-interviews-hiring-ai-2026-7 are instead placing greater emphasis on skills such as problem-solving and critical thinking, alongside culture fit, Business Insider previously reported. Cisco, for example, is moving from conventional coding challenges toward project-based exercises that observe how candidates operate in AI-enabled workflows. "The human element of oversight and expertise is more crucial than ever," Scott McGuckin, Cisco's VP of global talent acquisition, told Business Insider earlier this month.