Google is piloting a new interview process for software engineering candidates that allows the use of AI assistants, according to an internal document reviewed by Business Insider. The initiative aims to align hiring practices with the modern engineering landscape where artificial intelligence has become a standard tool. The company plans to test this format for junior to mid-level roles in select teams within the United States, with intentions to expand the program globally if the pilot proves successful. Starting in the second half of the year, candidates will be permitted to use an approved AI assistant during the code comprehension round. In this stage, applicants are expected to read, debug, and optimize an existing code database rather than writing code from scratch. Interviewers will specifically evaluate AI fluency, including skills in prompt engineering, output validation, and debugging. A Google spokesperson confirmed that the company's own model, Gemini, will be the specific assistant used during this pilot phase. Brian Ong, vice president of recruiting at Google, stated that the changes are designed to better reflect how teams operate in the AI era. With three-quarters of new code generated inside Google coming from AI as of April, the traditional interview format no longer mirrors the daily workflow of a modern developer. The new approach is described as human-led and AI-assisted, focusing on how engineers manage and improve AI-generated code rather than just writing it manually. In addition to allowing AI use, Google is modifying other parts of its interview structure. The behavioral "Googleyness and Leadership" round will now include a technical design discussion regarding a candidate's past projects. For more junior candidates, one standard technical round will be replaced with an assessment of their ability to solve open-ended engineering challenges. These changes will be piloted across several organizations, including the Cloud and platforms and devices units. Google's decision follows a growing trend among technology companies, with startups like Canva and Cognition already allowing AI usage in technical interviews. Emily Cohen, head of people and operations at Cognition, previously compared banning AI in interviews to asking a student to take a math test without a calculator. She argued that since AI tools are essential for building software, candidates should be expected to use them to demonstrate their capabilities. This shift underscores a broader industry recognition that the role of a software engineer has evolved to include managing and directing AI agents rather than solely focusing on manual code writing.