We get asked this every week. The honest answer: it depends on three things — the company's stated interview policy, whether you disclose, and the specific round. There is not one universal answer that applies to every interview in 2026.
Three categories of company policy
First: companies that explicitly forbid AI tools during interviews. Read their candidate handbook. If the policy says no AI assistance, do not use one. Period.
Second: companies that have no stated policy. Most companies are here in 2026. The ambiguity is not your fault, but it does mean a judgment call.
Third: companies that have started to assume AI will be used and have adjusted their interview design — harder questions, more whiteboard, more discussion-based behavioral. These companies are explicitly designing AI-resistant loops.
What disclosure looks like
Some candidates use a copilot for prep only — running mock interviews and reviewing transcripts after the fact — and never use it during the live interview. This is universally fine and analogous to using LeetCode or Pramp.
Other candidates use a copilot during live interviews and disclose at offer-stage if asked. The honest framing: 'I used real-time AI assistance during interviews. I want to be upfront about it because if your team would rather not work with someone who uses these tools, we should both know now.'
A small number of candidates use a copilot during live interviews and never disclose. We do not recommend this — both because it makes future-you uncomfortable, and because companies are increasingly running detection.
What we actually recommend
Use AI copilots aggressively for prep — mock interviews, transcript review, weak-spot identification. This is a clear win and not ethically ambiguous.
During live interviews, follow the company's stated policy. If the policy is silent and the round is a behavioral conversation about your past, lean toward your own words. If the policy is silent and the round is a 45-minute LeetCode problem you happen to need a small nudge on, the calculus is different.
If you ever feel uncomfortable about how you cleared a round, that is information. The job is harder to keep than to get; you want to land somewhere you can do the work without ongoing assistance.