AI Use in Technical Interviews: A Guide for Irish Hiring Managers

A year ago, most discussions were around candidates using ChatGPT to write CVs and cover letters. Today, the concern many clients I have personally spoken to here in Ireland is different: candidates using AI during live technical interviews.

According to research cited by HR Executive and Newsweek in 2026, approximately 22% of candidates report using AI during live interviews. Of course, the true figure is difficult to verify given the nature of the behaviour, but hiring managers that I’ve spoken to would say this is a low estimate.

Tools like Cluely and LockedIn AI: what employers should know

Products such as Cluely, LockedIn AI and InterviewCoder are designed to listen to interview questions, analyse them in real time and provide suggested answers while the candidate is speaking.

“If AI is part of the job, why shouldn’t I use it during the interview?”

There is some validity to that argument. The problem is not necessarily the use of AI. The problem is when AI masks a candidate’s true level of knowledge, judgement or experience. A good interview is not designed to test whether someone can produce an answer. It is designed to understand how they think, how they solve problems and whether they can apply their experience in real-world situations.

What practical steps can employers take today to protect a remote technical interview process?

Obviously in-person interviews are the best solution, but in many cases it’s not feasible and/or practical, especially at early-stage screening. Below are a few practical steps employers can take for remote and video interviews.

1. Refocus the questions

One of the simplest ways is to focus questions on scenarios, decision making and judgement, rather than a specific answer. The strongest questions are usually those with conflicting priorities, such as:

• “Tell me about a time when the business ignored your recommendation, and were they right?”
• “What’s the biggest mistake organisations are making with AI right now?”
• “What is the most common reason modern data platforms fail?”

2. Probe for evidence

• AI can give a correct answer, but likely won’t be able to provide the detailed background and context. Ask follow-up questions about budgets, stakeholders, challenges and outcomes.

3. Live problem solving (or live coding for software engineering and developer roles)

• Rather than asking candidates to simply answer questions, ask them to solve problems in real time. When someone genuinely understands a topic, they can adapt, explain and defend their decisions.

4. Require full screen sharing

• Ask candidates to share their entire desktop rather than a single window. Most AI interview tools are browser extensions, overlays or separate applications. It’s not foolproof but will filter out the majority of products.

5. Interview integrity platforms like Sherlock AI

• Products such as Sherlock AI monitor candidate behaviour, response timing, device activity and interaction patterns during remote interviews to identify signs of AI prompting or hidden applications. These tools won’t replace good interviewing, but they may be valuable for high-volume hiring and remote-first recruitment.

6. Be transparent about AI expectations

Rather than attempting to weed out AI use entirely, consider an AI transparency policy to clarify:

• If AI is permitted during assessments
• If AI can be used for interview preparation
• If AI assistance during live interviews is prohibited
• How the organisation intends to assess authenticity

The objective should not be to catch people using AI and view this as an arms race. The objective should be to design hiring processes that can reveal a person’s genuine capability regardless of whether AI is involved. If anyone can sound impressive with the help of AI, identifying genuine capability may become the most valuable recruitment skill of all.

If you’re hiring software engineers or developers and want to talk through how to build this into your interview process, get in touch with our Software Development team here. Take a look at further Software Development insights and resources here  or our Software Development Salary Guide here.