Which companies allow AI in coding interviews (2026)
A handful of companies now let you use an AI assistant in at least one coding round, and the rest still ban it. Here's who does what, and how solid the evidence is for each claim.
The list
We split the evidence into three levels. Official means the company said it publicly or confirmed it to the press. Press means a news outlet reported internal documents. Candidates means interview reports only.
| Company | What's reported | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Meta | An AI-enabled round replaces one of two onsite coding rounds: a multi-file project, an AI chat that can read the files, and three phases. Details | Press, confirmed by Meta |
| A "code comprehension" pilot from the second half of 2026: read, debug and optimize existing code with Gemini. Details | Press, confirmed by Google | |
| Canva | Expects backend, machine learning and frontend candidates to use AI tools such as Copilot, Cursor and Claude in technical interviews | Official (engineering blog) |
| Stripe | A round where candidates use AI models provided inside HackerRank on a harder problem | Candidates |
| Amazon | Online assessments with a production-style codebase, a bug to fix and an AI assistant | Candidates |
| Harvey | An "AI assisted coding round" at the onsite stage | Candidates |
Most companies still ban it
Allowing AI is still the minority position. A figure attributed to the interviewing company Karat says about 62% of organisations still prohibit AI in technical interviews (via techinterview.org). We couldn't check the underlying survey.
The same company can allow AI in one round and ban it in another. Meta keeps a classic no-AI coding round alongside the AI-enabled one. Using AI where it isn't allowed is treated as cheating. In 2025, Business Insider reported internal Amazon guidelines saying candidates can be disqualified for using AI tools during interviews. Those rules target unsanctioned, real-time help, not the AI built into an assessment.
Why companies are changing
- It matches the job. Meta's internal message called the format "more representative of the developer environment that our future employees will work in" (404 Media).
- It's harder to cheat. The same message said it makes "LLM-based cheating less effective".
- The skill being tested has shifted. Google's pilot scores "prompt engineering, output validation and debugging", not writing code from memory (via Business Insider).
What this means for your prep
- Ask your recruiter which rounds allow AI and which tools. Policies differ by company, team and round.
- Prepare for both. Classic algorithm rounds haven't gone away, even at companies that added an AI round.
- Train the new skills on purpose: reading unfamiliar code, debugging from evidence, and checking AI output before you trust it. See how to use the AI without hurting your score.
Sources
- 404 Media: Meta is going to let job candidates use AI during coding tests
- Moneywise on Yahoo Finance: Google will let candidates use AI in interviews (citing Business Insider)
- Canva engineering blog: Yes, you can use AI in our interviews
- r/leetcode: Stripe and Meta new AI interview experience (Stripe and Amazon candidate reports)
- ITPro: Amazon bans AI tools during job interviews (citing Business Insider, 2025)
- LeetCode Discuss: Amazon OA experience, October 2026
- r/InterviewDB: Harvey AI assisted coding round
- techinterview.org: AI tool policy tracker 2026 (Karat figure)