Which companies allow AI tools in interviews? The published rules, by stage

By FDE Interview Prep, a SourceStrongAI company

In this post11 sections

1. The short answer: it depends on the company and the stage
2. The rules, by company and stage
3. Employers that expect or allow AI in some rounds
4. Employers that say no AI unless they tell you otherwise
5. Rules you only have from the press
6. Recording, transcription and note-taking tools
7. What to do when nothing is published
8. Get what the public pages don’t say
9. Questions people ask
10. Keep reading
11. More from the blog

On Tuesday you interview at Meta, where candidates for select roles are expected to use the AI assistant built into CoderPad. On Thursday it’s Snowflake, where every coding interview is done without coding or AI assistants. ^{[1, 2]}Source 1Meta Jobs Hiring ProcessPublisherMetaSource typecompany hiring pageSource 2AI Cheat Sheet: How (and When) to Use AI in Your Snowflake InterviewPublisherSnowflakeSource typecompany hiring page This post sets out who says what, stage by stage, and it is one part of the FDE interview guide, which covers the whole loop.

The short answer: it depends on the company and the stage

Which companies allow AI tools in interviews? A few publish that they expect it in some rounds: Meta for select roles, and Canva for its engineering candidates. ^{[1, 3]}Source 1Meta Jobs Hiring ProcessPublisherMetaSource typecompany hiring pageSource 3Yes, You Can Use AI in Our Interviews. In fact, we insistPublisherCanvaSource typecompany blog Google says AI tools are not permitted in its interviews, and Snowflake says all candidates do coding interviews without coding or AI assistants. ^{[2, 4]}Source 2AI Cheat Sheet: How (and When) to Use AI in Your Snowflake InterviewPublisherSnowflakeSource typecompany hiring pageSource 4Our hiring process - Google CareersPublisherGoogleSource typecompany hiring page Anthropic, Microsoft, Accenture and Deloitte say no AI unless they tell you otherwise. ^{[5, 6, 7, 8]}Source 5Guidance on Candidates' AI UsagePublisherAnthropicSource typecompany websiteSource 6Hiring tipsPublisherMicrosoftSource typecompany hiring pageSource 7Redefining hiring with the power of responsible AIPublisherAccentureSource typecompany job postingSource 8Using AI in the Deloitte recruitment processPublisherDeloitte USSource typecompany job posting

The part people miss is the stage. One company can let an AI polish your application, then rule it out by default on the take-home and again in the live round. ^[5]Source 5Guidance on Candidates' AI UsagePublisherAnthropicSource typecompany website So the useful question is never “does this company allow AI?” It is “which tools, in which round, and who said so?”

Three things to know before the tables:

• Most of these rules are company-wide. They cover every candidate, not only forward deployed engineers, and they still apply to you. Where a rule sits on a specific role or posting, the table names it.
• Rules change. OpenAI’s sentence about AI tools is not in a July 2026 archived copy of its interview guide and is in an August 2026 copy, so it was added in between. ^{[9, 10]}Source 9OpenAI interview guide (Wayback Machine capture)PublisherOpenAI (archived by Internet Archive)Source typearchived company pageSource 10OpenAI interview guide (Wayback Machine capture)PublisherOpenAI (archived by Internet Archive)Source typearchived company page That is why these tables are dated.
• A rule is only as good as its source. An employer’s own page is a rule. A news story about an internal document is a report. This post keeps the two apart.

The rules, by company and stage

As of September 2026, these are the rules on each employer’s own pages, from Anthropic’s candidate AI guidance to Google’s hiring page. ^{[4, 5]}Source 4Our hiring process - Google CareersPublisherGoogleSource typecompany hiring pageSource 5Guidance on Candidates' AI UsagePublisherAnthropicSource typecompany website

AI expected or allowed

No AI unless they tell you, or it varies by round

Can I use AI to prepare? Yes, at the two employers that say so: Anthropic and Snowflake both encourage candidates to use AI while they prepare. ^{[2, 5]}Source 2AI Cheat Sheet: How (and When) to Use AI in Your Snowflake InterviewPublisherSnowflakeSource typecompany hiring pageSource 5Guidance on Candidates' AI UsagePublisherAnthropicSource typecompany website

Employers that expect or allow AI in some rounds

Two say they expect it (Meta for select roles, Canva for engineering); the rest allow it in a named round.

Meta. Its hiring-process page says select roles now include an authorized AI assistant within CoderPad during technical interviews, and that candidates are expected to use it. ^[1]Source 1Meta Jobs Hiring ProcessPublisherMetaSource typecompany hiring page The assistant includes Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and Meta’s models, and only the tools inside the interview environment may be used. ^[1]Source 1Meta Jobs Hiring ProcessPublisherMetaSource typecompany hiring page “Expected” does not mean “any tool you like”: your own Cursor window is still an outside tool.

Canva. Its engineering blog said in June 2025 that Canva expects Backend, Machine Learning and Frontend engineering candidates to use AI tools such as Copilot, Cursor and Claude in its technical interviews. ^[3]Source 3Yes, You Can Use AI in Our Interviews. In fact, we insistPublisherCanvaSource typecompany blog That names engineering tracks, not an FDE role.

Notion. Its public AI Applications Engineer interview guide, for the role on this list closest to FDE, has one AI-enabled coding interview where AI coding tools are “available and strongly encouraged”, and asks you not to use tools like ChatGPT or GitHub Copilot to write code in the others. ^[11]Source 11AI Applications Engineer InterviewsPublisherNotion (notion.notion.site)Source typecompany website That is two rules inside one loop.

Sierra, GitLab and Salesforce. Sierra’s engineering onsite has a Build stage done with the AI tooling of your choice. ^[12]Source 12The AI-native interview (Vijay Iyengar, Arya Asemanfar, Angie Wang)PublisherSierraSource typecompany blog GitLab welcomes transparent AI use in technical assessments and asks you to disclose which tools you used, and a Salesforce careers post from May 2026 says technical candidates may complete an assessment demonstrating how they use AI. ^{[13, 14]}Source 13Using AI in the interview processPublisherGitLabSource typecompany hiring pageSource 14Ask a Recruiter: How Do I Get AI-Ready Without a Technical Background?PublisherSalesforceSource typecompany blog Allowed is not required: skipping AI in these rounds breaks no rule. Sierra’s AI-native interview walks through that format.

A round about AI, not necessarily with it

Glean’s postings, the Founding Forward Deployed Engineer posting included, describe a brief AI-focused exercise or discussion, and say you may reference any AI tools you use without prior Glean experience. ^[21]Source 21Founding Forward Deployed EngineerPublisherGlean (Greenhouse job board)Source typecompany job posting Be ready to talk through the tools you use, and ask whether you will use one live.

What “using AI well” looks like out loud

GitLab expects you to explain your prompts and technical decisions, and Sierra digs into how you used AI along the way. ^{[12, 13]}Source 12The AI-native interview (Vijay Iyengar, Arya Asemanfar, Angie Wang)PublisherSierraSource typecompany blogSource 13Using AI in the interview processPublisherGitLabSource typecompany hiring page So the tool’s output is only half of what they see; your narration is the other half.

Here is our suggested narration for a round where you must parse a log file and retry failed uploads. It is our method, not a script any interviewer uses:

1. “I’ll ask it for the parser only. I’ll write the retry logic myself, because that’s where the judgment is.”
2. The prompt: “Write a Python function that reads this log format and returns one dict per line. Here are three sample lines.”
3. “Before I keep this, I’ll run it on the empty-file case.”
4. “It drops the header row, so I’m fixing that myself.”
5. “Kept: the regex. Rejected: its error handling, because it swallows exceptions.”

Each line says what you asked for, how you checked it and what you decided. How to pass an AI-assisted coding interview goes deeper on each step, and the question on extending unfamiliar code with an AI assistant is a round-shaped drill for it.

Employers that say no AI unless they tell you otherwise

The tables already give the rule. What matters is what happens if you break it. IBM says a violation may result in disqualification. ^[18]Source 18Application processPublisherIBMSource typecompany job posting Accenture says it uses proctoring tools and AI-detection methods. ^[7]Source 7Redefining hiring with the power of responsible AIPublisherAccentureSource typecompany job posting Snowflake holds one of its coding interviews in person. ^[2]Source 2AI Cheat Sheet: How (and When) to Use AI in Your Snowflake InterviewPublisherSnowflakeSource typecompany hiring page

Anthropic’s wording is the one to remember: live interviews are “all you”, with no AI assistance unless it indicates otherwise. ^[5]Source 5Guidance on Candidates' AI UsagePublisherAnthropicSource typecompany website It also says it will be clear when AI is allowed, with the example “You may use Claude for this coding challenge”. ^[5]Source 5Guidance on Candidates' AI UsagePublisherAnthropicSource typecompany website

“Unless we tell you otherwise” means they tell you

The exception belongs to the employer. Permission comes from the interviewer, the prep materials or the recruiter in writing, never from your own reading of the round. A round that “feels practical” is not an invitation.

Two cases where this bites:

• An AI company is not an AI-allowed company. Anthropic’s live interviews are no-AI by default. ^[5]Source 5Guidance on Candidates' AI UsagePublisherAnthropicSource typecompany website
• Two dates, one company. Salesforce’s August 2025 tips say no AI in the interview unless prompted, and its May 2026 post says technical candidates may do an assessment that shows how they use AI. ^{[14, 17]}Source 14Ask a Recruiter: How Do I Get AI-Ready Without a Technical Background?PublisherSalesforceSource typecompany blogSource 174 Actionable Tips for a Successful Salesforce InterviewPublisherSalesforce Careers BlogSource typecompany blog Both can be true, because they cover different stages. Treat the newer post as an exception for that stage, not a new default.

If you are unsure mid-round, ask. It takes a moment and shows you read the rules:

“Before I start: which tools can I use in this round? Is it the editor only, or can I use the assistant?”

Rules you only have from the press

Some of the most-quoted “rules” are news stories about internal documents. They are worth knowing and not worth treating as policy.

• Google’s pilot. Entrepreneur reported, in May 2026, citing an internal document seen by Business Insider, that Google plans to let candidates use an AI assistant in its code comprehension interview from the second half of 2026, and that a spokesperson said the pilot uses Gemini. ^[22]Source 22Google Is Testing a Transformative New Interview RulePublisherEntrepreneurSource typenews report Entrepreneur’s report also said the pilot starts with select U.S.-based teams hiring for early- and mid-career roles. ^[22]Source 22Google Is Testing a Transformative New Interview RulePublisherEntrepreneurSource typenews report Until your recruiter tells you your round is in the pilot, go by the careers page, which says AI tools are not permitted. ^[4]Source 4Our hiring process - Google CareersPublisherGoogleSource typecompany hiring page
• Google and in-person rounds. Business Standard reported, in August 2025, that Sundar Pichai signaled a shift to at least one in-person interview amid a surge in AI cheating. ^[23]Source 23AI can't ace your interview anymore: Google to bring back in-person hiringPublisherBusiness StandardSource typenews report
• Amazon. IT Pro reported, in March 2025, citing internal documents seen by Business Insider, that Amazon’s guidelines ask candidates not to use GenAI tools during interviews unless explicitly permitted, and warn that not following them may lead to disqualification. ^[24]Source 24Amazon banned candidates from using AI tools during interviewsPublisherIT ProSource typenews report

Press reports also show how fast pages move. Fortune reported, in June 2025, that Anthropic’s job postings told applicants not to use AI assistants during the application process. ^[25]Source 25Goldman Sachs wants students to stop using ChatGPT in job interviews with the bankPublisherFortuneSource typenews report Anthropic’s guidance page, last updated in July 2025, now asks you to write your first draft yourself and then use Claude to refine it. ^[5]Source 5Guidance on Candidates' AI UsagePublisherAnthropicSource typecompany website Its Forward Deployed Engineer posting links that page. ^[26]Source 26Forward Deployed EngineerPublisherAnthropic (Greenhouse job board)Source typecompany job posting If you screenshotted the old line, you are working from the wrong rule.

Recording, transcription and note-taking tools

This rule is easy to break without noticing if a meeting assistant joins your calls automatically.

• Okta asks you not to use AI or any other technology to record, transcribe or take notes during interviews and technical screening without its explicit written consent. ^[20]Source 20Okta Interview GuidePublisherOktaSource typecompany hiring page
• Adobe covers “AI or recording tools” in the same sentence on its FDE postings. ^[19]Source 19Senior Forward Deployed EngineerPublisherAdobe (Workday careers site)Source typecompany job posting
• Salesforce asks you not to record or transcribe your interviews, regardless of AI features. ^[17]Source 174 Actionable Tips for a Successful Salesforce InterviewPublisherSalesforce Careers BlogSource typecompany blog

The reverse also happens. In September 2026, 106 of the 110 open Palantir Forward Deployed and Deployment Strategist application forms asked about an AI notetaker, saying Palantir may use one to transcribe interviews and that opting in or out will not affect your candidacy. ^[27]Source 27Apply: Forward Deployed Software Engineer (New York, NY) - Palantir on LeverPublisherPalantir Technologies (Lever)Source typecompany job posting That is Palantir’s tool, with your consent. It is not permission to run yours.

What to do when nothing is published

Some FDE employers publish nothing we could find on AI in interviews. We found no published Palantir rule for its live interviews, for example, though its Deployment Strategist Build to Apply postings for US Government say LLMs, AI and other tools are “permitted and encouraged” while you build the project you submit (how Build to Apply works). ^[15]Source 15Deployment Strategist, Build to Apply - US GovernmentPublisherPalantir Technologies (Lever)Source typecompany job posting Silence is not permission. OpenAI’s own guide gives the right move: its preparation materials explain what is allowed, and if you are unsure, ask your recruiter before the interview. ^{[10, 16]}Source 10OpenAI interview guide (Wayback Machine capture)PublisherOpenAI (archived by Internet Archive)Source typearchived company pageSource 16Interview guidePublisherOpenAISource typecompany hiring page

Ask in writing, per stage, and keep the reply. Here is a note you can adapt:

Hi Priya, thanks for scheduling the next rounds. Before I prepare, could you confirm which tools I may use at each stage? Specifically: the take-home, the live coding round and the system design round. Is an AI assistant allowed in any of them, and if so, is it one you provide or my own? Thanks, Sam

Three reasons this works. It shows you read rules, which is part of the job. It gets you an answer per stage, not one blanket answer. And the reply is your record if an interviewer on the day assumes something different.

Then prepare for both versions of each round. If the answer is “no AI”, practice with your editor’s completions turned off; the free practice case puts you in front of an AI customer, a safe place to rehearse narrating your thinking out loud with no assistant open. If it is “AI allowed”, practice narrating your prompts and your checks. For the take-home, whether you can use ChatGPT or Claude on a take-home covers the published rules and how to disclose what you used.

Common mistakes, and the fix

An interviewer may also ask how you use AI tools at work, whatever the round’s rule. Have an honest answer ready, with one place you trust them and one place you don’t: how you use AI coding tools, and where you don’t trust them is that question with a model answer.

Get what the public pages don’t say

The rules above are company-wide. The Pro lesson on AI assistance rules by company and stage adds candidate reports, and one recruiter’s description relayed on Blind, about AI in specific rounds at OpenAI, Google, Stripe, Snowflake and Cohere, including one report that conflicts with the published rule, the email that settles every stage, and an ai_rules block to fill in for each employer you target. Get Pro to read it. The free lesson on the evidence map shows how to tell what an employer publishes from what a candidate reports.

Questions people ask

Can you use AI tools in a Google interview, given the pilot reported by Entrepreneur?

Not under Google’s published policy, which says AI tools are not permitted during its interviews. Entrepreneur reported, in May 2026, that Google plans a pilot of an AI assistant in its code comprehension interview, starting with select U.S.-based teams, but that is a press report, not Google’s published rule, so go by the careers page unless your recruiter tells you otherwise in writing.^{[4, 22]}Source 4Our hiring process - Google CareersPublisherGoogleSource typecompany hiring pageSource 22Google Is Testing a Transformative New Interview RulePublisherEntrepreneurSource typenews report

Which companies let you use AI during technical interviews?

Among the rules we read, Meta says select roles include an AI assistant in CoderPad that candidates are expected to use, Canva said in June 2025 that it expects engineering candidates to use AI tools in technical interviews, and Notion’s AI Applications Engineer guide includes one AI-enabled coding interview.^{[1, 3, 11]}Source 1Meta Jobs Hiring ProcessPublisherMetaSource typecompany hiring pageSource 3Yes, You Can Use AI in Our Interviews. In fact, we insistPublisherCanvaSource typecompany blogSource 11AI Applications Engineer InterviewsPublisherNotion (notion.notion.site)Source typecompany website

Can I use an AI note-taker or recording tool in an interview?

Not unless you are invited to. Adobe and Okta ask candidates not to use AI to record or transcribe interviews unless invited or given written consent, and Salesforce’s company-wide tips ask candidates not to record or transcribe interviews.^{[17, 19, 20]}Source 174 Actionable Tips for a Successful Salesforce InterviewPublisherSalesforce Careers BlogSource typecompany blogSource 19Senior Forward Deployed EngineerPublisherAdobe (Workday careers site)Source typecompany job postingSource 20Okta Interview GuidePublisherOktaSource typecompany hiring page

What should I do if a company has no published AI rule?

Ask your recruiter in writing which tools are allowed at each stage, and keep the reply. OpenAI’s own interview guide tells candidates who are unsure to ask their recruiter.^{[10, 16]}Source 10OpenAI interview guide (Wayback Machine capture)PublisherOpenAI (archived by Internet Archive)Source typearchived company pageSource 16Interview guidePublisherOpenAISource typecompany hiring page

Keep reading

Guides

• The forward deployed engineer interview, round by round

Lessons

• AI assistance rules, by company and by stage
• The evidence map: what employers publish, what candidates report, how to read both

Questions

• How do you use AI coding tools in your daily work, and where do you not trust them?
• Extend a feature in a Python codebase you have never seen, using an AI assistant, and explain every change it made.

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