Undeclared use of AI during job interviews has become the most common form of graduate misconduct, according to the Institute of Student Employers (ISE). Its annual survey found that reports of misconduct in applying for jobs reached a new high, with 92% of employers suspecting or confirming errant behaviour during assessment and selection processes, up from 85% the previous year and 78% the year before that.
Recruiters say AI-assisted answers are easy to spot
Chris Morrow, who runs a recruitment agency in Manchester, said it is obvious when someone is using AI to drum up answers in an interview. “It’s like they are reading off an Autocue,” he said. Morrow, who recruits talent for the AI sector, said apps that can listen in and suggest answers in real time were used by candidates during virtual interviews, who as a result do not get through to the next round.
“Whenever it happens to us, we tend to end the interview. It’s cheating,” he said. Morrow said candidates interviewed by his Digitalent agency tended to inadvertently reveal they were using an AI assistant in video interviews by stalling for time while waiting for the chatbot to produce a response, or using stilted language. “There is a delay,” he said. “The candidate tends to use filler phrases like ‘That’s a good question.’ The other tell is that a lot of the language they use is not necessarily natural and is super-formal.”
Most common forms of AI misconduct
The most common form of misconduct was the unauthorised use of AI during interviews and online assessments, with 66% of respondents reporting at least one incident of a graduate misusing AI during an interview. The next highest instance was applicants using AI to complete online assessments (47%), followed by using the technology to complete online application questions and then using it to write CVs or covering letters (10%).
ISE has 290 employer members including Marks & Spencer, Rolls-Royce and Accenture but did not name the respondents who had experienced AI-assisted interviews. Stephen Isherwood, chief executive of ISE, said cheating in interviews could result in candidates getting jobs they were ill-suited for. “If you misrepresent yourself, you could end up doing the wrong job,” he said. Isherwood added that job candidates should do their research and understand the role they are applying for because “that’s what interviewers are looking for” when applicants get in front of an employer.
Graduate hiring market stabilises
ISE’s 2026 survey also played down the immediate impact of AI on the graduate jobs market. It stated that the hiring market had stabilised this year after an 8% decline last year, rising 4% in 2026, with employers expecting a further 7% rise over the next 12 months. The survey contained considerable variation, however, with 40% of respondents reducing their graduate intake and 45% increasing it – while 15% maintained their current levels of hiring.
Isherwood said any reduction in graduate hiring by companies had been driven by overall economic conditions and not the adoption of AI, which has been widely expected to affect the job market because it offers the ability to automate certain tasks and reduce the need for human workers. “They [companies] are not managing down graduate recruitment because of AI. It’s because of economic uncertainty. It’s a tough economic environment,” he said, adding that the concern about AI’s impact on graduate jobs was “two or three years down the line”.
