Google is piloting a new interview process for software engineering candidates that will let them use an AI assistant during the “code comprehension” round, where candidates will be expected to “read, debug, and optimize” an existing code database. Interviewers will evaluate AI fluency, including prompt engineering, output validation, and debugging skills, with Google's own Gemini model serving as the approved AI assistant during the pilot phase. The change is part of a broader overhaul of Google's interview process designed to “better align with the modern engineering landscape,” and applies to junior to mid-level roles being tested in select U.S. teams in the second half of the year. The shift comes as three-quarters of new code created inside Google is now generated by AI, with similar changes already adopted at companies like Canva and AI coding startup Cognition.
