Harvard Business Review LogoJune 8, 2026Benne Ochs/Getty ImagesGenerative AI is rapidly undermining the reliability of traditional hiring signals, making it easier for candidates to manufacture polished résumés and perform convincingly in remoteFor decades, corporate hiring has favored candidates who could present a flawless résumé and deliver highly structured answers to interview questions. Today, generative AI is making it easier for applicants to do those things, whether they have the underlying competence or not. Put another way, the ability to perform well in interviews is becoming infinitely scalable and practically free. For anyone involved in recruiting, that’s a problem.
AI Has Broken Hiring. Here’s How to Fix It.
Generative AI is rapidly undermining the reliability of traditional hiring signals, making it easier for candidates to manufacture polished résumés and perform convincingly in remote interviews with real-time assistance tools. Interviews with 120 talent-acquisition leaders and an analysis of more than 6,000 screening sessions show that companies now risk selecting for candidates who are best at navigating the hiring process rather than best equipped to do the job. To adapt, organizations must redesign early-stage hiring around authentic reasoning, judgment, and adaptability instead of static credentials and scripted interviews.
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