AI has been around for years, but I have seen its biggest impact on recruitment between 2025 and 2026.
In 2025, I started seeing a surge of AI enhanced fake candidates, especially in niche tech roles. Some candidates were using tools that changed their voice or fed them answers in real time, so they appeared fluent and confident in English during interviews. We even hired one candidate who seemed great in the interview, but within three days, the team noticed their communication was far below what we had assessed and we uncovered the deception.
In 2026, the problem shifted from fake interviews to bulk, low‑relevance applications. Candidates are using AI to mass‑apply to roles that do not match their background at all. A Sales Executive posting can easily attract applications from architects and other unrelated profiles because AI makes it so easy to “spray and pray.” The volume goes up, but so does the noise.
So what do we do as recruiters and hiring managers in 2026 and beyond? A few practical moves I would personally suggest (that's been working for my team so far..)
Read the resumes manually, not just the filtered shortlist. Filters and keywords can be gamed now.
Validate communication in real time with live questions and back‑and‑forth, not just scripted interviews.
Use structured, behavior‑based questions that force candidates to draw on real experience.
Dig into specifics of past roles to confirm they truly did the work they claim.
I am not sure what 2027 will bring, but one thing is clear: as candidates become more AI‑enabled, recruiters need to become more intentional, more curious, and more human in how we assess talent.