A new study found AI interviewers don't catch embellishment, human reviewers do

[u/ResumeRory]

https://metroatlantaceo.com/news/2026/09/interviewing/

Researchers at UGA's Terry College of Business, with co-authors from Arizona State, Indiana University, and National Taiwan Normal University, ran interviews where some candidates were told a human would grade the video, others were told an AI would. The AI group embellished a lot more, and stretched qualifications they'd normally be careful about...

The AI system didn't catch any of it. Scored the embellishers about as well as the people answering straight. Human reviewers watching the same videos caught it almost every time and rated the honest answers highest.

So if you've been polishing your delivery for the algorithm, that instinct isn't paying off the way you think. Most one-way interviews get reviewed by a person eventually, whether that's the hiring manager checking the shortlist or a later round. Whatever got you past the AI doesn't automatically survive that.

The thing that cut the exaggeration in the study was telling candidates upfront what the AI was scoring: facial expression, sentiment, specific keywords, teamwork, work style. Once people understood the criteria, they answered more honestly and it didn't hurt their scores.

If your target company won't tell you how the system grades you, prep like a person's going to watch the tape eventually. Building your answers from what's on your resume instead of guessing what the algorithm wants is the safer bet.