You finally find a promising candidate, but during the interview, you realize that they sound too polished to be real. And then it hits you: they are using an AI assistant to cheat.

Before we look at how to handle this, let’s look at what’s actually happening.

Unlike in the past, when recruiters had an upper hand in hiring, candidates have now caught up and are using AI interview assistants to cheat the system. These AI assistants listen to your questions and provide real-time responses, coaching candidates step by step. The wrong use of AI increases the risk of hiring someone who can talk the talk but can’t actually do the work.

So, how should you deal with this?

The best way to interview in the AI era is to make the conversation more human. Ask in-depth questions and follow up naturally like you would in an actual face-to-face conversation. For example, instead of asking: 

• “Are you good at multitasking?

Ask them this

• “Tell me about a time when you had multiple deadlines to meet simultaneously.”

The first question is easy for an AI-assisted candidate because it invites a simple yes-or-no response and often yields a polished, generic answer. On the other hand, the second question demands storytelling. It forces the candidate to recall a real-life experience and describe it in detail, something AI assistants struggle to fake.

Now, once they give a response, go deeper and ask layered questions like:

• “What exactly were you working on?”
• “How did you prioritize each task? “
• “What approach did you use to deliver the tasks before deadlines?”
• “What were you feeling at that moment?”
• “What did you learn from the experience?”

These follow-ups make it easy to tell who’s genuine and who’s leaning on AI assistants. Real candidates sound thoughtful, sometimes a bit messy, but consistent in their responses. Those using an AI assistant sound too smooth and lack emotion or memory-based detail. They may also give contradicting information.

If you want to learn more about interviewing effectively in this AI age, check out our detailed guide. (The link is in the description)

And if you want to skip the guesswork and focus only on serious, qualified candidates, hire with Workscreen.