MUMBAI: Google is finally letting candidates bring a powerful co-pilot to the coding interview and it’s called Gemini. In a significant shift for the technology industry, Google is preparing to permit software engineering candidates to use its Gemini AI assistant during parts of the hiring process. The pilot programme is set to launch later this year within Google Cloud teams in the United States, initially targeting junior and mid-level roles.
Under the new format, candidates will be allowed to use Gemini in a code comprehension round, where they review, debug, and improve existing software. Interviewers will assess not just technical skills, but how effectively candidates collaborate with AI tools.
The company is framing the approach as “human-led and AI-assisted,” acknowledging that a substantial portion of its own code is now generated with AI help before human review. Interviewers will also evaluate responsible AI usage, including how well candidates craft prompts, validate outputs, and spot errors in AI-generated code.
This move reflects the rapid transformation already happening in software development, where engineers routinely use generative AI to write, test, and optimise code. By updating its hiring process, Google aims to assess talent in a way that matches how work actually gets done today.
While supporters argue the change makes interviews more relevant, some critics worry it could make it harder to gauge a candidate’s raw analytical abilities. Either way, Google’s experiment is likely to influence hiring practices across the wider tech sector.
The search giant’s deeper investment in Gemini continues to reshape everything from search to software development and now, the very way it hires the people who will build its future.
