With 73% of job applicants using AI to enhance their CVs, employers must adapt their hiring processes to distinguish between polished presentations and actual competence.
When every application is polished, the risk is not that an employer will hire someone who used artificial intelligence. It is that fluent presentation will be mistaken for proven competence.
AI is rapidly becoming embedded in job applications. Prospects Luminate’s Early Careers Survey 2026 found that 73% of respondents who had applied for a job used AI during the application process, up from 55% in 2025.
Although the research reflects the International early-careers market, the trend is clear. Employers should not automatically distrust AI-assisted applications, but a polished CV can no longer be treated as proof of capability. It should start the hiring conversation, not make the final decision.
According to Measuredability South Africa (MASA), AI can help candidates improve spelling, restructure experience and tailor a CV to a particular vacancy. Used responsibly, this can make applications clearer and help suitable candidates communicate their value.
