Would you pass an interview where AI is allowed?
How AI will change the interview game in the future
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Intro
Meta recently announced a pilot: some candidates will be allowed to use AI assistants during coding interviews.
You can check the article here
This might sound like a small tweak, but it signals a huge shift.
Just like calculators reshaped how we teach math, AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot are about to reshape how engineers are interviewed, evaluated, and hired.
In this newsletter, I am sharing my thoughts on:
Why this change matters more than you think
How it helps (and hurts) candidates
What skills should to build to stay ahead of the curve
From “Can You Code?” to “Can You Think?”
Most interviews today are artificial:
No internet
No Copilot
No real-world tools
But that’s not how anyone writes software these days
Meta is asking the right question here:
Why test engineers in unnatural environments when on the job, they always use AI?
That’s the core shift:
From testing your raw memory and typing speed
To evaluate how you collaborate with AI to solve problems
In AI-first interviews, the focus shifts to:
Can you guide the AI with clarity?
Can you spot mistakes or hallucinations?
Can you refine the output into high-quality code?
The new question is not “Can you code?” but “Can you reason, guide, and debug?”
The New Skills That Will Set You Apart
AI isn’t replacing interview prep.
It’s changing what good prep looks like.
Here’s how top candidates will adapt:
✅ 1. Practice with AI, not without it
Set up your coding practice with Copilot, ChatGPT, or Cursor.sh.
If you haven’t used an AI assistant in your editor yet, this is your reminder
Use them as if you’re pair programming.
Ask for help
Review AI suggestions
Think aloud and reflect on why something works
The goal isn’t to memorize answers but it is to build judgment.
✅ 2. Use AI like a junior teammate
AI is a partner, not a cheat code.
Here are better prompts to use:
“Suggest a high-level plan, I’ll write the code myself.”
“What edge cases should I worry about here?”
“Where might this logic break down?”
Don’t treat AI like Google.
Treat it like a junior dev you’re mentoring.
In the future, you will be managing a group of AI agents, and your job will be to manage them and make sure they are doing the right thing
✅ 3. Learn to debug AI-generated code
AI is fast but not always right.
Start practicing by asking ChatGPT to write buggy code on purpose.
Then try to:
Find the bug
Understand why it broke
Ask AI how to fix it and compare answers
This builds real-world reflexes.
I also feel this is what interviewers will focus on. They will give a snippet of AI-generated buggy code, and you will have to review the code, work with AI to fix the code, and get the test cases passed
✅ 4. Explain your thinking, not just your syntax
Interviewers will now care less about syntax and more about your thought process.
Practice writing:
Code comments
Design docs
PR descriptions
Answer questions like:
“Why this approach?”
“What did you optimize for?”
“What are the tradeoffs?”
In an AI world, clarity of thought becomes your biggest asset.
⚠️ The New Failure Mode: Blind Trust
Here’s where most candidates will mess up:
They’ll copy AI code without understanding it
This leads to:
Hidden bugs
Missed edge cases
Security risks
To stand out, don’t just use AI. Audit it.
You should be able to:
Catch silent logic bugs
Rewrite clunky or risky code
Explain why AI’s output is wrong (if it is)
Blind trust = red flag.
Critical collaboration = strong hire.
🧭 Final Thought: This Is Just the Beginning
I am not sure how long it will take for all companies to accommodate AI in their interview process, but the way things are moving, it should not be too long
Once AI shows up in interviews, it’ll eventually show up in:
Interview Feedback
Performance reviews
Velocity metrics
System design evaluations
Engineers who adapt early will thrive.
They’ll be trusted with:
Bigger projects
Cleaner systems
Mentorship and leadership roles
🔎 What You Can Do This Month
Here’s how to stay ahead of this shift:
Start a brag doc: track how you’re using AI tools at work
Record yourself doing mock interviews with AI help, analyze your collaboration
Share tips publicly: What worked, what didn’t, and what surprised you
The engineers who show mastery and teach others will attract opportunities in this new world
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