When Cristina Estupiñán was job searching after a layoff, potential employers would ask about her enthusiasm for AI during interviews.
Unfortunately, that enthusiasm was lacking.
“I have to make up something about what excites me about AI because, frankly, nothing really excites me about AI,” Estupiñán, who worked in software development, previously told Business Insider.
As more companies adopt AI tools — and more job postings mention the technology — employers are asking candidates to discuss AI during interviews. Job seekers don’t necessarily have to become AI evangelists, hiring experts say, though they should be prepared to explain how they’ve used the technology and how they think about it.
Like any other interview topic, it’s worth practicing how you’ll describe your experience with AI — or explain why you haven’t used it much.
What has your experience with AI been like during your job search? Were you asked about your AI usage, or did you have an interview with an AI recruiter? Reach out to these reporters to share at [email protected] and [email protected].
Expect AI to come up
Candidates should expect interviewers to ask how they’ve used AI in previous roles, how comfortable they are with it, and where they see it fitting into their work. Gallup survey results showed that the share of US employees using AI at work increased from 21% in the second quarter of 2023 to 50% in the first quarter of 2026.
Hiring managers want to understand whether and how a prospective employee used AI, said Kareem Osman, vice president and market director of technology talent solutions at the staffing firm Robert Half.
He said candidates can prepare by thinking about a challenge they had, how they used AI to overcome it, and the ultimate outcome.
“Highlighting those tangible results whenever possible is going to be something crucial with these sorts of questions,” Osman said.
He added that employers place a lot of emphasis on practical application and business impact, so candidates should think about how they streamlined processes, sped up tasks, and supported decision-making.
“Employers are really trying to see individuals that are adaptable, that are embracing new technologies,” Osman said, adding that hiring managers may also want candidates who can use AI without relying on it entirely. Human judgment still matters in producing the final work, he said.
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Judgment calls and interpersonal skills are becoming increasingly important in the tech world. The era of hiring developers mainly for their coding ability is fading, Osman said, as companies seek out well-rounded engineers. Employers want people who can clearly communicate their work to others — including explaining how they use AI tools — and understand business needs.
Job candidates can also use the interview to learn about the employer’s approach to AI. Asking how the company uses the technology, what tools employees rely on, and what expectations exist for day-to-day use demonstrates inquisitiveness, Osman said.
“It shows curiosity and to see where the company’s headed,” he said, particularly if AI was a prominent topic in the interview.
Candidates who are skeptical of AI don’t need to pretend otherwise, said Vicki Salemi, a career expert with Monster. Instead, she recommends answering questions about the technology honestly and succinctly.
“Brevity is key without being curt about it,” Salemi said.
At the same time, candidates who haven’t used AI much don’t have to apologize for it. She said they can explain that they haven’t had many opportunities to do so in their roles before asking interviewers how the tech fits into the team’s work. That approach, Salemi said, shows candidates are willing to learn without overstating their experience or enthusiasm.
If job seekers’ concerns center on a particular area — such as the risks AI might pose to creative work — she said it’s reasonable to instead emphasize ways they’re comfortable using the technology, such as administrative tasks, scheduling, or logistics.
“You can focus on the things where you don’t have a moral problem with it,” Salemi said.
You don’t have to love AI
Being honest about limited experience is one thing. Making opposition to AI the focus of an interview is another, said Josh Bersin, an HR analyst and consultant.
If a job seeker tells a recruiter they don’t believe in AI, “you may have just lost your opportunity to get a job there,” he said.
Ultimately, Bersin said candidates shouldn’t assume employers have AI all figured out, either. Many companies are still experimenting with where the technology adds value, making it worthwhile to ask questions rather than write them off, he said.
“You might get into a conversation with a company that’s more interesting than you realized,” Bersin said.
Candidates who remain skeptical of AI can still position themselves as strong hires, said Mohit Bhende, CEO and cofounder of the talent-evaluation platform Karat, by emphasizing qualities such as judgment, emotional intelligence, creativity, and problem-solving.
“People can thrive, even if they do have that disposition,” he said.
As AI becomes a more commonplace workplace tool, he expects interviews to focus less on AI itself and more on how candidates think through problems.
“Demonstrate things that you can do that make yourself uniquely able,” Bhende said.
