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

In-person job interviews are making a comeback for some tech firms. SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images 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 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 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 RTOThere is some data that backs the broader shift toward more in-person hiring.Greenhouse's 2025 AI in Hiring Report, 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, 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 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 candidates use an approved AI assistant, while vibe-coding startups, including Cognition, Base44, and Replit, have embraced AI use in technical hiring.Some of the employers allowing AI use in interviews 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. Read next Thibault is a business reporter at Business Insider's London office.He covers the intersection of wealth, work, and technology — focusing on the global economy, AI’s impact on the workplace, job and cognitive skills, and how economic changes are affecting careers. Before moving to the trending team, Thibault covered international affairs, including the Russia-Ukraine war, tensions in the South China Sea, and Russia’s economy on the news desk.He has previously worked at the Daily Express and held internships at Agence France-Presse, Politico Europe, and Factal.Il parle français. Se habla español.Email Thibault at tspirlet@businessinsider.com, connect with him on LinkedIn @ThibaultSpirlet, or follow him on X @ThibaultSpirlet and BlueSky @thibaultspirlet.bsky.social.ExpertiseAI and the future of work Job and cognitive skills in the AI economyWorkforce trendsFirst-person, "as-told-to" business storiesPopular articlesAI isn't making us smarter — it's training us to think backward, an innovation theorist saysNetflix tried full pay transparency for senior staff — it ended up fueling petty rivalries, Reed Hastings saysDuolingo gives staff 2 weeks off over the holidays — and the CEO says it pays offA Nobel Prize-winning physicist explains how to use AI without letting it do your thinking for youAI is giving workers the illusion of expertise — and quietly making them worse at their jobsSatya Nadella says he spends his weekends studying startups as Microsoft's size has become a 'massive disadvantage''Think big': A 35-year finance veteran urges Gen Z to start their own businesses as entry-level jobs dry upAI is reshaping the teenage brain — and an Oxford study says it is making students faster, but shallower thinkersSwitching jobs used to mean higher pay raises. Not anymore.Canadians were urged to boycott travel to the US in response to tariffs — and numbers suggest they listened AI Artificial Intelligence