The Blubber

Goldman Sachs’ campus recruitment team for its private investing academy in the EMEA region recently sent out a reminder email to student applicants outlining expectations for upcoming interviews, according to a report from eFinancialCareers. The bank uses the video interview platform HireVue to conduct initial candidate assessments and follows a clear set of best practices. As part of those guidelines, students are urged to prepare by reviewing the firm’s financial statements, business principles, and core values. But one thing they can’t rely on: AI tools.

“As a reminder, Goldman Sachs prohibits the use of any external sources, including ChatGPT or Google search engine, during the interview process,” the email stated, according to someone familiar with the message.

HireVue, an AI-powered hiring platform, asks candidates behavioral questions designed to evaluate key skills. And while Gen Z applicants might be tempted to consult ChatGPT or other AI chatbots for help, that strategy isn’t just discouraged—it’s largely ineffective.

Goldman’s digital interviews typically give candidates 30 seconds to prepare after each question, followed by a two-minute response window, based on research from eFinancialCareers. That’s not much time to type a prompt into an AI tool, interpret the response, and deliver an answer. Even if they manage to do so, the output often lacks the personal nuance recruiters are looking for—potentially hurting more than helping.

Goldman’s no-AI policy may seem ironic given that around half of the firm’s 46,000 employees already have access to AI tools. But like many companies, the bank is still working through how to incorporate emerging technologies into its operations. Goldman spokesperson Jennifer Zuccarelli confirmed to Fortune that the AI policy applies to all student recruits.

“This language is consistent with what we send to any of our campus applicants across all positions,” Zuccarelli said in a statement. “We want to hear from our applicants in their own voice.”

Other companies are taking a similar stance. AI startup Anthropic, valued at $61.5 billion, recently launched a major hiring push—but asked candidates not to use AI when applying. The company emphasized that it’s important to evaluate applicants’ unaided communication skills and gauge genuine interest.

“Please do not use AI assistants during the application process,” Anthropic wrote in job descriptions. “We want to understand your personal interest in Anthropic without mediation through an AI system, and we also want to evaluate your non-AI-assisted communication skills.”

Amazon, too, discourages candidates from leaning on generative AI during interviews. Earlier this year, the $2 trillion retail and cloud computing giant issued internal guidance stating that applicants caught using AI would be disqualified. The company said the tools give an “unfair advantage” and obscure a person’s authentic ability.

“To ensure a fair and transparent recruitment process, please do not use gen AI tools during your interview unless explicitly permitted,” the guidelines stated, according to Business Insider. “Failure to adhere to these guidelines may result in disqualification from the recruitment process.”