Where AI assistance ends in elite recruitment
All eight institutions in the reviewed AI-policy subset publish an explicit boundary or control around candidate or employer AI use in recruitment. Seven of the eight explicitly protect at least one assessment or interview context through an AI restriction or candidate-owned-performance requirement; BCG is not included in that stage-specific numerator because the reviewed guidance does not establish a blanket live-assessment prohibition.
What is the reporting line?
All eight institutions in the reviewed AI-policy subset publish an explicit boundary or control around candidate or employer AI use in recruitment. Seven of the eight explicitly protect at least one assessment or interview context through an AI restriction or candidate-owned-performance requirement; BCG is not included in that stage-specific numerator because the reviewed guidance does not establish a blanket live-assessment prohibition.
What evidence supports it?
| Signal | Institution | Market | Governed observation | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SIG-108 | McKinsey & Company | Global | McKinsey encourages responsible AI use for resume polishing, interview practice and concept preparation, while prohibiting real-time AI interview answers. | SRC-072 |
| SIG-109 | McKinsey & Company | Global | McKinsey Solve must be completed independently without applications, websites, AI tools or pre-prepared notes unless an approved accommodation applies. | SRC-073 |
| SIG-111 | UBS | Global | UBS permits AI assistance with application documents where the content genuinely reflects the candidate's own skills, experience and understanding. | SRC-074 |
| SIG-112 | UBS | Global | UBS requires assessment tasks to be completed independently and prohibits AI assistance. | SRC-074 |
| SIG-113 | UBS | Global | UBS prohibits AI-generated responses in recorded or virtual video interviews and prohibits AI recording, transcription or analysis of interviews. | SRC-074 |
| SIG-118 | PwC | United Kingdom | PwC UK prohibits unauthorised AI or third-party assistance in assessment responses and states it does not use AI to assess Early Careers candidate performance. | SRC-076 |
| SIG-120 | Clifford Chance | United Kingdom | Clifford Chance London assessment days are normally in person and list case or commercial interviews, written work and group exercises for Training Contract and SPARK routes. | SRC-078 |
| SIG-172 | Deloitte | United Kingdom | Deloitte UK permits responsible AI use in preparation, including researching a final-stage assessment topic and practising interviews, while requiring interview responses to be based on the candidate's own experiences and to remain authentic. | SRC-111 |
| SIG-173 | Deloitte | United Kingdom | Deloitte UK states that AI must not be used when completing its online assessments, including the Immersive Online Assessment, OneStop and Job Simulation, which must be completed independently and without AI assistance. | SRC-111 |
| SIG-174 | Deloitte | United Kingdom | Deloitte UK states that AI must not be used during interviews, whether in person or virtual, and that interviews must be completed without AI assistance. | SRC-111 |
| SIG-177 | HSBC | Global | HSBC states that candidates may use generative AI to research HSBC and roles, help structure a CV or application where the content accurately reflects their own experience and skills, prepare for interviews, and organise or draft ideas where the final submission remains genuinely their own. | SRC-113 |
| SIG-178 | HSBC | Global | HSBC states that candidates must not use generative AI to generate responses during live or recorded interviews and must not submit work they cannot personally explain, validate or replicate if asked during recruitment. | SRC-113 |
| SIG-180 | BCG | Global | BCG explicitly permits thoughtful candidate use of generative AI for application support, including brainstorming, structuring a resume or responses, finding sources and practising interview questions, while requiring the candidate's authentic voice, experience and judgement to remain their own. | SRC-115 |
| SIG-181 | BCG | Global | BCG states that applications are reviewed by experienced recruiters, AI is not used to make hiring decisions, and hiring decisions remain with people; BCG also describes limited employer-side AI support including job recommendations and drafting interview questions. | SRC-116 |
| SIG-182 | A&O Shearman | United Kingdom | A&O Shearman states that candidates may use AI responsibly to complement rather than substitute their skills, including refining CVs, applications and written responses, while requiring honest representation of skills and experience. | SRC-117 |
| SIG-183 | A&O Shearman | London | A&O Shearman's London early-careers FAQ states that it does not use AI at any point during its recruitment process and that all assessments and decisions are made by its team. | SRC-118 |
What must not be reported?
Do not generalise 8/8, or the stage-specific 7/8 result, to all selective employers.
Downloads and citation
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Who Gets In? (Elite Careers Strategy), Where AI assistance ends in elite recruitment, revised 14 September 2026, https://www.accessecs.com/who-gets-in/story-packs/ai-boundaries/