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AI Manipulation in Hiring Soars: Report Reveals Alarming Cheating Trends
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News18•02-10-2026, 17:45
AI Manipulation in Hiring Soars: Report Reveals Alarming Cheating Trends
- •Candidate integrity risks in recruitment are escalating due to applicants using AI to manipulate assessments and interviews, according to a HirePro report.
- •Cheating in assessments surged to 45% in 2025-26 from 32% in 2021-22, indicating nearly one in two assessments showed integrity concerns.
- •Interview-related malpractice cases also increased, reaching 2.5% in FY26 compared to 1.4% in FY22.
- •AI-assisted cheating was the fastest-growing category, recording a 50% relative growth in one year for assessments, and reaching 18% of interview malpractice.
- •HirePro COO S Pasupathi warns that employers' evaluation systems must evolve to stay ahead of emerging, AI-driven forms of malpractice.
Key Questions Answered
According to HirePro's 2026 report, cheating in job assessments rose to 45 per cent in 2025-26, up from 32 per cent in 2021-22.
External assistance led assessment malpractices at 43 per cent in 2025-26, followed by mobile and secondary-device usage at 13 per cent, identity and visibility issues as well as AI-assisted cheating at 12 per cent each, and video or screen manipulation at 9 per cent.
Identity fraud in interviews dropped significantly from 65 per cent in FY23 to 28 per cent in 2025-26, while AI-assisted cheating grew to reach 18 per cent.
