TL;DR

Almost three in five UK managers say they have spotted or suspected AI use by a candidate during an online interview, LBC reported on 2 November from a Chartered Management Institute survey of 928 managers. Nine in 10 now see it in CVs or cover letters, against 79% two years ago. For UK employers, the finding raises a practical question about whether remote interviews can still test what they were designed to test.

LBC’s report centres on trust. Half of the managers surveyed worry that a candidate may be overstating what they can do, and an equal share say AI use leaves them less confident in the person’s overall ability.

“Are we interviewing a person or ChatGPT?” asked Petra Wilton, the institute’s director of policy. She stopped short of telling candidates to avoid the technology, calling it potentially “a brilliant tool”, but argued that recruitment is one of the few moments when an employer can really see the person. Her advice was aimed especially at people early in their careers, who she said should build their own communication and critical thinking skills.

Reading the numbers

These are perceptions, which limits what they can show. “Noticed or suspected” combines what a manager saw with what they merely guessed, and a survey of managers cannot say how often candidates actually use AI, or how accurate those suspicions are. LBC does not give the fieldwork dates, and we have not seen the institute’s own release, so the figures here rest on LBC’s account.

The institute has also looked at AI from inside firms. We reported in June on its earlier study of managers and AI skills. This survey looks at the same technology arriving through the front door, in the hands of applicants.

An uncomfortable symmetry

In our view, there is an obvious tension here. Firms that want staff to use AI at work may still count the same tools against someone during selection. A candidate who drafts a strong covering letter with a chatbot may simply be showing the skills a future manager will want, and firms that have not said what they consider acceptable are leaving applicants to guess.

Looking Forward

In our view, the practical response is about process design rather than detection, and UK employers should state clearly what AI use they accept at each stage, and consider whether some part of the assessment needs to take place in person or with live work. Graduates and early-career candidates are the group Wilton singled out, and they have the most to lose if suspicion hardens into a blanket assumption that polished answers are not their own.