Cheating in hiring assessments takes an AI-turn

Bengaluru: Cheating during hiring assessments and interviews is surging as applicants increasingly use artificial intelligence (AI) to manipulate the recruitment process, prompting employers to devise new strategies to counter the malpractice.

With 45% of assessments flagged for cheating in FY26, up from 32.4% in FY22, according to a report by recruitment automation and talent assessment platform HirePro, close to one in two assessments now carry an integrity risk.

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AI-assisted cheating emerged as the fastest-growing form of malpractice, up 50% on-year in FY26, as candidates increasingly used AI prompts to generate responses in real time, said the report, based on about one million assessments and 100,000 interviews. It also drew on expert insights and secondary research. "Early-stage screening is the most compromised, weakening overall talent quality before interview filters are applied," said S Pasupathi, chief operating officer, HirePro.

Over time, companies have moved away from using assessments simply to filter out applicants, during campus recruiting for instance, and adopted them as core selection criteria, prompting more specialised assessments. "The challenge has transitioned into a technology arms race, requiring continuous innovation in detection, verification and monitoring mechanisms," Pasupathi said.

Traditional external assistance and identity fraud remain the biggest category, but their share is falling as technology-enabled methods gain ground, according to the HirePro report. Device-based cheating has declined and stabilised, as the use of browser extensions and secondary devices such as mobiles and external screens remains prevalent. Video and screen manipulation nearly doubled to 9% in FY26 from FY23, with deepfakes increasingly being used to impersonate candidates during assessments.

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Cheating has evolved from traditional methods, such as unauthorised notes, device usage and proxy test-takers, to AI-generated answers and deepfakes, said Amit Rahane, partner at EY Forensic and Integrity Services. "The issue is particularly pronounced in mass recruitment and at entry levels, with the proliferation of such methods increasing significantly in recent years," he said.

The issue extends beyond assessments and is now impacting the interview process. Interview fraud increased to 2.5% in FY26 from 1.4% in FY22, according to the report, with candidates misrepresenting their identity or skills and using AI or outside assistance during remote interviews.

The shift is complicating hiring for employers, especially those leaning towards remote and technology-enabled recruitment to access a wider talent pool and reduce administrative costs and time-to-hire.

Companies are responding by investing in “fighting AI with AI” to identify deepfakes and other manipulation, Rahane said. “Educational institutes face similar concerns, as compromised assessments could undermine the quality of talent entering the workforce and negatively impact their reputation as well,” he added.

An unsuitable hire can cost an organisation up to 30% of a worker’s first-year salary while damaging company culture, productivity and reputation, according to the HirePro report.

Employers are consequently moving from single-layer checks to a combination of identity verification, behavioural monitoring and technology-led detection to safeguard hiring integrity.