Automated interviews are becoming a source of frustration for jobseekers—and some are choosing to leave the hiring process rather than take part. New research suggests this reluctance is particularly pronounced among people who are already employed and may have other options.
A Use.AI survey of 6,731 people seeking work across the UK, the US, Canada, the European Union, and Latin America found that 29% of respondents who were already employed had withdrawn from a hiring process that included an AI interview. Among respondents who were out of work, the figure was 14%.
The pattern appeared across the regions surveyed, despite differences in the specific results. The findings suggest that willingness to participate may be shaped by a candidate’s financial circumstances and the alternatives available to them. People who urgently need work may be more willing to accept an unfamiliar or impersonal process. Those with a job may feel less compelled to do so.
## Who is opting out—and why it matters
The results raise an important question for employers: who chooses to enter an AI-led hiring process in the first place? Evaluating a system for fairness is important, but it does not reveal how the interview format affects candidates’ decision to participate.
“Employers spend considerable effort checking whether their screening systems evaluate candidates fairly. They should be equally interested in who decides to enter those systems in the first place,” said Matthew Freire, Managing Director of Use.AI. He added that offering applicants an alternative route to a human interviewer could help employers assess whether the format itself is influencing who remains available for consideration.
That concern may be especially relevant to candidates who attend an AI interview despite having reservations. According to the survey, 58% of those who did so said they would refuse if they had other jobs lined up. In other words, a process that some candidates tolerate when options are limited may become a reason to withdraw when they have a choice.
For employers, this could narrow the pool of applicants—not necessarily by skill or suitability, but by their willingness to engage with automated interviews. If experienced candidates opt out, the short-term efficiencies of automation could come at the cost of missed talent.
## The limits of automated recruitment
AI is already used at multiple stages of recruitment, from screening CVs and applications to conducting interviews. Employers and recruitment agencies may rely on in-house tools or third-party services to ask candidates questions and assess their responses.
Automation can help manage high application volumes, but an interview is also an opportunity for two-way communication. Candidates may use conversation, tone, and body language to build rapport and understand the role. A scripted or AI-led exchange can make that interaction more difficult, particularly for people who rely on interpersonal cues to communicate effectively.
Even a polished digital avatar is not a human interviewer. A system can present questions and collect answers, but it may not offer the flexibility, context, or natural rapport that helps candidates show how they would work with a team. For many applicants, an automated interview can feel more like completing a form than having a meaningful professional conversation.
## A more flexible approach
AI tools may have a role in recruitment, but relying on them as the only interview route risks discouraging candidates who could otherwise be strong hires. Employers can preserve the benefits of automation while giving applicants a choice—for example, by offering an initial conversation with a recruiter or hiring manager as an alternative.
The survey findings do not mean every candidate will reject AI interviews. They do suggest, however, that an automated process may influence who stays in the running. Employers seeking a broad and competitive candidate pool should consider not only how their systems assess applicants, but also whether those systems make applicants less willing to participate.
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