What Research Really Says About AI Interviews
It’s easy to assume humans are best at job interviews. That hiring, at its core, is about chemistry, intuition, and reading the room. That no machine could ever replacethe genuine connection between two people. But what happens when research points in a different direction?
Most humans like to think of ourselves as rational decision-makers. That experience sharpens our judgment. That we can look past first impressions and focus on competence and potential. That we can set personal preferences aside.
The reality is less flattering.
In reality, we tend to favor candidates who resemble ourselves. We’re influenced by irrelevant factors like voice, appearance, or even which sport someone lists asa hobby in their CV. We also interpret the same answer differently depending on who delivers it. And afterward, we rationalize why our gut feeling was “obviously right” even when the data says otherwise.
This isn’t because recruiters are bad at their jobs. It’s because we’re human. We rely on cognitive shortcuts. We carry unconscious bias. And we struggle to stay consistently objective.
So what happens when we remove the human factor from the earliest stages of recruitment? Let’s look at some recent research.
AI vs. human interviews
In a 2025 study from the University of Chicago and Erasmus University Rotterdam 70,000 job seekers were interviews by human recruiters and AI. The exact same structured interview questions were used. The results were striking.
The AI-led interviews produced stronger decision data. Candidates interviewed by AI were more likely to receive an offer, accept it, and still be in the role after their first month.
Why? Because humans are inconsistent at times. We skip questions. We rephrase them. We accept vague answers. We’re affected by mood, deadlines, and unconscious bias. A candidate interviewed on a Monday morning may be evaluated differently than one interviewed late on a Friday afternoon. It is a fact. And human.
AI captures more relevant data
AI doesn’t have those fluctuations. It follows the same interview structure every time, for everyone. Interviews become more consistent, more comprehensive, and more comparable. Candidates, in turn, provide richer and more detailed responses. And also get a fairer assessment.
In short, AI captures more relevant data. That conclusion is also supported by Tengai’s own data and a research study conducted in collaboration with leading HR expert Patrik Nordin in Sweden.
Candidates prefer AI over humans
Candidate experience research often claims that job seekers want human interaction in recruitment. But do they? Always? An article by Tema HR confirms that when candidates were given an actual choice between being interviewed by a human or by AI, 78 % chose AI.
Could this be since 92 % of candidates experience anxiety before job interviews, according to US research (and equal data across the globe)? Something that according to Boolean and sourcing expert Glen Cathey notes in Why Do People Prefer to Interview with a Human vs. AI?
The biggest fears? Getting nervous and being thrown off by unexpected questions.
Both are significantly reduced in an AI-led interview, especially when candidates can pause, reflect, and resume the interview on their own terms without it affecting the assessment.
AI also wins on perceived fairness
Candidates describe AI interviews as less stressful, easier to prepare for, and most importantly fairer. AI treats everyone the same. It asks questions in the same tone, at the same pace, unaffected by mood or bias. Many candidates value being able to fully finish their answers and receive feedback that is based on data, not subjective interpretation.
That doesn’t mean the human meeting should disappear. It absolutely shouldn’t. It just belongs later in the hiring process, where it adds the most value.
AI is a decision supporter, not a decision maker
One point is non-negotiable: AI should never decide who gets hired.
Research shows that AI performs best as a tool for collecting objective data, improving fairness, and strengthening recruiters and hiring managers decision-making. A Pew Research study found that two out of three candidates would avoid applying for jobs where AI makes final hiring decisions.
When it comes to decisionmaking, humans are still best.
Get objective and comparable interview data
But humans perform best when they’re working with clean, structured, comparable data. That’s where recruiters can truly add value: understanding organizational context, spotting potential that data alone can’t show, and building relationships that make candidates want to say yes to the job offer.
Humans bring contextual understanding, emotional intelligence, and a holistic perspective that no AI can match.
By letting AI handle early interviews, recruiters can focus their energy where it matters most instead of trying to stay objectively consistent across dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of identical screening interviews and phone calls.
That’s why AI in recruitment is about care, transparency, and method, not replacement.
When AI Goes Wrong
But AI can be an issue. This becomes clear in the Bias: AI v. Human – Mobley v. Workday episode of The Chad & Cheese Podcast, which examines one of the most high-profile cases where an AI system was accused of reinforcing discriminatory patterns.
The discussion highlights a crucial lesson: AI becomes problematic when it lacks transparency, and ongoing human oversight.
AI must never be a black box. And it must never act alone.
At Tengai, this principle is fundamental. Our screening platform is developed in line with current legislation, ethical guidelines, and best practices, including full compliance with the EU AI Act. That matters, because hiring decisions affect real lives and real opportunities.
In Tengai, AI exists only in the interview avatar’s dialogue. It doesn’t analyze candidatedata, evaluate responses, or make decisions. And no LLM:s that make false assumptions or suggest candidates based on a black box AI. In other words, our AI provides input, not output.
You get structured, comparable, data-driven insights automatically, allowing more time for human conversations, and decisions that actually move your business forward.
Want to put Tengai to the test?
Book a demo of Tengai and experience how AI-led interviews can speed up and raise the quality of your hiring process. Transparent. Fair. Automated. And always human-centered.
Welcome to hiring smarter with Tengai!