Only in a pilot. Business Insider reported from an internal document that from the second half of 2026 Google is testing a code comprehension round where candidates use an approved assistant, Gemini, to read, debug and optimise existing code. It covers junior and mid level roles on select US teams. Outside it, no source says AI is allowed.
- AI in interviews
- Pilot Pilot from the second half of 2026
- Where
- A code comprehension round, in a pilot for junior and mid level roles on select US teams.
- What is graded
- AI fluency, described in the reporting as prompting, checking the output and debugging.
- Basis
- Reported by the press
What else is known?
The pilot was reported in May 2026. A Google spokesperson confirmed that Gemini, Google's own model, is the approved assistant, and Google's vice president of recruiting, Brian Ong, said the pilot is meant to reflect how Google's teams now work.
At the same time Google moved part of its loop back into the room. interviewing.io reported in an edit dated 8 October 2025 that Google had finished a pilot of in person software engineer interviews (two virtual rounds, then three or four in person) and planned to roll it out for all software engineer roles within two to three months.
When did it change?
- 8 October 2025: interviewing.io reports Google's in person interview pilot and planned rollout
- 14 May 2026: Reporting of the AI assisted code comprehension pilot, confirmed by Google
- Second half of 2026: Pilot runs for select US teams
Sources
- Moneywise on Yahoo Finance, reporting Business Insider: Google's AI assisted interview pilot
- interviewing.io: survey of 67 interviewers on how AI changed interviews
- Computerworld: companies bring back in person interviews to counter AI cheating
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