AI, deepfakes put hiring under pressure as cheating hits 45% of assessments
Cheating during hiring assessments and interviews is becoming increasingly sophisticated as candidates turn to AI-enabled methods. According to HirePro’s report, 45% of assessments were flagged for integrity concerns in FY26, highlighting the growing challenge of maintaining candidate integrity as hiring becomes more digital.
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. The report is based on about one million assessments and 100,000 interviews and also draws on expert insights and secondary research.
S. Pasupathi, Chief Operating Officer, HirePro, said, “Early-stage screening is the most compromised, weakening overall talent quality before interview filters are applied.”
Over time, companies have moved away from using assessments simply to filter applicants, including during campus recruitment, and have increasingly adopted them as core selection criteria, leading to more specialized assessments. Highlighting how hiring safeguards need to evolve alongside emerging forms of malpractice, Pasupathi said, “The challenge has transitioned into a technology arms race, requiring continuous innovation in detection, verification and monitoring mechanisms.”