AI-Assisted Coding Interviews: What They Are & How to Practice
By Shilo Drot, updated .
An AI-assisted coding interview is a technical interview where you solve a realistic engineering problem using AI tools, and you're assessed on how well you direct the AI, verify its output and collaborate with it - not on whether you can recall an algorithm. The task might be fixing bugs in an existing codebase, extending it with a feature, or building something new from scratch.
Which companies run AI-assisted coding interviews?
Canva replaced its computer science fundamentals screen with an AI-assisted coding round in June 2025, and lets candidates use tools such as Copilot, Cursor and Claude (Canva Engineering).
Meta is piloting an AI-enabled coding round: 60 minutes in CoderPad with an AI assistant, on a project with a few hundred lines of existing code and tests. The round moves from fixing issues in the existing code, to implementing a new feature - where you may use AI to generate code - to extending and improving the system. Using the AI is optional, but you need to explain any code it writes for you (IGotAnOffer).
Formats change quickly and vary by role, so ask your recruiter exactly which tools are allowed and what the round looks like.
What interviewers evaluate when AI is allowed
- Code comprehension - finding where behavior lives in code you didn't write.
- Breaking down the task - turning a vague request into small, checkable steps.
- Verification - running tests before and after a change, and catching mistakes in AI output.
- Judgment - choosing a design and explaining the trade-off you made.
- Communication - saying what you're doing and why, the way you would with a teammate.
AI-assisted vs. traditional coding interviews
| Traditional (LeetCode-style) | AI-assisted | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | An empty function and a problem statement | A realistic task: a codebase with bugs, a feature to add, or a blank project |
| AI tools | Not allowed | Allowed or expected |
| Main skill tested | Algorithm recall and implementation | Directing and verifying AI, debugging, designing, testing and explaining |
| Red flag | Not finding the optimal approach | Accepting AI output you can't explain |
How to practice for an AI-assisted coding interview
- Practice realistic tasks. Mix all three kinds: a bug in code you didn't write, a feature to add to an existing project, and something new built from a blank project.
- Run the tests first. Know where you stand before you change anything, and after every change.
- Use AI for the small things. Syntax, an API, a library call. Keep the design decisions yours.
- Verify everything it tells you. Read generated code line by line and test it before you rely on it.
- Explain out loud. Practice with someone, or something, that asks why.
The interview guide covers each of these habits in more detail.
Practicing on Cla64.ai
Each Cla64.ai interview opens a real project in VS Code in your browser, with a terminal. The AI in the session plays two roles: an interviewer you can ask about the task's rules, and an assistant that answers syntax, API and tooling questions directly and gives a hint when you're stuck. It won't write the solution, and it may ask why you chose an approach. When you're done, it asks you a few questions about your work. Exercises with starting code are then checked with hidden tests; blank-project exercises end with a live demo. Either way you get a written review, including how you used the AI.
Sessions cover all three kinds of task - debugging existing code, building on starting code, and designing something new from a blank project. Because the AI won't write the solution, the decisions stay yours, and your review shows how you worked with the AI to reach them.
Start with a debugging exercise from the exercise list, or watch a full session first. Practice in Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Java or C++.
Frequently asked questions
What is an AI-assisted coding interview?
An AI-assisted coding interview is a technical interview where you solve a realistic engineering problem using AI tools, and you're assessed on how well you direct the AI, verify its output and collaborate with it - not only on whether the code runs. The task might be fixing bugs in an existing codebase, extending it with a feature, or building something new.
Which companies allow AI in coding interviews?
Canva replaced its computer science fundamentals round with an AI-assisted coding round in June 2025, and Meta is piloting an AI-enabled coding round where candidates may use AI to generate code. Policies differ by company and role, so ask your recruiter what is allowed before the interview.
What do interviewers evaluate when AI is allowed?
Whether you break an ambiguous task into steps, read and understand existing code, check AI output instead of accepting it blindly, test before you trust a change, and explain your decisions clearly. Accepting generated code you can't explain is usually treated as a red flag.
How should I practice for an AI-assisted coding interview?
Practice on realistic tasks rather than isolated puzzles - fixing a bug in code you didn't write, extending an existing project, and building something new from a blank project. Use AI for what it's good at, verify what it tells you, test as you go and explain your decisions out loud. A mock interview with an interviewer who asks why is the closest you can get to the real thing.
Is LeetCode still useful if AI is allowed?
For algorithm fundamentals, yes - you still need to recognize when an approach is too slow. But LeetCode is built around short algorithm puzzles, while AI-assisted rounds test different skills: understanding a codebase, debugging, designing and building, testing, and explaining your decisions while working with AI. Practice those directly.
Does Cla64.ai let me use AI?
Yes - the session's own assistant. Some companies, Meta among them, let candidates use AI to generate code in the interview; on Cla64.ai the AI won't write the solution. It answers syntax, library and tooling questions directly and gives a hint when you're stuck, and other AI tools aren't available - so the decisions, and explaining them, stay yours.