// guide

The AI-enabled coding interview: how to prepare

Since 2025 a growing number of companies have added a coding round where you work with an AI assistant, and others have written down that you must not use one. This page explains what the new round tests, lists which companies run which format with links to the sources, and lays out how to practice for both.

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What changes when the assistant is allowed

In a classic round the question is whether you can produce a correct solution. When an assistant can produce one in seconds, that stops telling the interviewer much. The AI-enabled formats move the test to the parts the assistant does not do for you: understanding code you did not write, breaking a vague task into pieces, deciding what to ask for, checking what comes back and explaining the result.

The formats differ. Some put you in an existing multi-file project and ask you to fix, extend and speed it up (reported at Meta, and in Google's code comprehension pilot). Some give you an open-ended product problem and your own tools (Canva, DoorDash). Formats change between hiring cycles, so treat every company description as a starting point and ask your recruiter.

Companies with an AI-assisted round

Companies that ask for no AI in interviews

For these, preparation is the classic kind: solving and explaining problems out loud, unaided. Using AI to prepare is allowed and in some cases encouraged.

The full list, with every source and the date it was last checked, is on the AI interview policy tracker.

What is evaluated

The companies that have described their rounds publicly name overlapping skills. Each company guide quotes its own list; across them, the common ground is:

  • Breaking down an ambiguous problem before building, including asking clarifying questions (Canva, DoorDash).
  • Working in code you did not write: reading it, finding bugs, improving it (Google pilot, DoorDash, reported at Meta).
  • Validating AI output: running it, testing it and catching its mistakes (Google pilot, Canva, DoorDash).
  • Using the assistant for well-defined pieces rather than the whole problem (Canva).
  • Explaining your reasoning and owning every line you submit (Canva, DoorDash, reported at Meta).

How to prepare: a two-week plan

  1. Find out your format. Ask your recruiter which rounds allow AI, which tools, and whether the assistant is provided or your own. Read the company's guide below if there is one.
  2. Get fast at reading unfamiliar code. Do debugging and code comprehension rounds with the assistant closed first, so reading is not the slow part when the clock is running.
  3. Practice directing an assistant out loud. Ask for one piece at a time, say what you expect before you read the answer, and run the code after each change.
  4. Practice catching its mistakes. Review AI-written code and say what is wrong with it. Some of Placed's codebase rounds have the assistant make a mistake and score whether you catch it.
  5. Keep the classic rounds sharp. Most loops still include a coding round without AI, plus behavioral and, at senior levels, system design.

Practice on Placed

Placed runs its own versions of these formats with a voice interviewer, and scores each one on a fixed rubric, including prompt quality and how you validated the output. The codebases and tasks are Placed's, not any company's. Start with the AI-assisted rounds, the AI fluency interview or a company pack. See how grading works.

Questions people ask

What is an AI-enabled coding interview?

A technical interview where you are allowed, or expected, to use an AI coding assistant while you work. Depending on the company the assistant is built into the interview environment (as reported at Meta and in Google's pilot) or you bring your own tools (as Canva and DoorDash describe). You are judged on how you direct the assistant and check its output, not only on the final code.

Which companies allow AI in coding interviews?

Canva and DoorDash have said so publicly. Meta is reported to run an AI-enabled round, Google is piloting a code comprehension round with Gemini, and Shopify's head of engineering has said its interviews embrace AI tools. Amazon, Anthropic and Microsoft ask candidates not to use AI in interviews unless told otherwise. The policy tracker lists each with sources.

Is using AI in an interview cheating?

Only where it is not allowed. At companies that run an AI-enabled round, using the assistant is the point. At companies that ban it, using one can disqualify you. Ask your recruiter which tools are allowed in each round.

What do interviewers look for in an AI-assisted round?

The companies that have described their rounds name similar things: breaking down an ambiguous problem, using the assistant for well-defined pieces, validating and debugging what it produces, working in unfamiliar code, and explaining your reasoning. Google's internal document is reported to list prompt engineering, output validation and debugging.

Do I still need to practice LeetCode-style problems?

Yes for most loops. Meta reportedly keeps one classic coding round alongside the AI-enabled one, Google's pilot leaves its other coding rounds unchanged, and companies that ban AI still run classic rounds.

How can I practice an AI-enabled coding interview for free?

Placed runs practice versions of these formats with a voice interviewer: multi-file codebase rounds, code comprehension rounds and single-problem rounds with an assistant, each scored on how you used it. You can start without an account.

Sources

  1. Canva engineering blog: "Yes, you can use AI in our interviews. In fact, we insist"
  2. 404 Media: Meta is going to let job candidates use AI during coding tests (July 2025)
  3. Hello Interview: Meta's AI-enabled coding interview
  4. interviewing.io: guide to Meta interviews
  5. Business Insider: Google adds an AI assistant to some software engineer interviews (May 2026)
  6. Entrepreneur: Google is testing a new rule that could transform job interviews (May 8, 2026)
  7. University of Miami career centre: Google's AI-assisted coding interview
  8. The Pragmatic Engineer: how AI is changing software engineering at Shopify, with Farhan Thawar (July 2025)
  9. Hello Interview: Shopify's AI-enabled coding interview
  10. GeekWire: AI use during job interviews sparks debate
  11. Fortune: companies asking candidates not to use AI in interviews
  12. Anthropic: guidance on using AI during the hiring process
  13. Anthropic engineering: designing AI-resistant technical evaluations (January 2026)
  14. Careers at DoorDash: DoorDash is rebuilding its engineering interviews around AI (March 2026)
  15. Microsoft Careers: interview tips

Placed is not affiliated with any company named here. Company names are used to describe publicly reported interview formats.