Candidates interviewing for jobs in 2025 should prepare a new set of questions focused on artificial intelligence, according to career experts. With AI rapidly transforming workplaces, assessing a potential employer's strategy and tools has become as fundamental as inquiring about salary or benefits.
Recruiter Jeff Hyman, with three decades of experience, told Business Insider that job seekers need to determine if a company is actively integrating AI or merely discussing it. The right questions can reveal a firm's maturity with the technology, its investment level, and how it will impact daily work and career growth.
Strategic Vision and Daily Use
Hyman recommends starting by asking about the company's AI strategy for 2026, a timeframe that acknowledges the technology's rapid evolution. The answer can indicate whether leadership views AI primarily as a driver for growth or simply a tool for cost-cutting.
Following this, candidates should ask how the specific team they are joining uses AI day-to-day. "Listen for an answer that’s vague," Hyman said, as this can signal an employer is still early in its AI journey. Career coach Erin McGoff advises asking whether a company is "AI drunk" – overestimating the technology's impact – or if it is barely affecting operations.
Tool Access and Managerial Control
A clear indicator of commitment is the level of AI tool access provided to employees. Hyman suggests treating this like basic workplace tech: it is now reasonable to ask if you will have access to paid, professional AI tools or be expected to use free versions independently. "Companies that are going cheap really signal that they’re trying to get something for nothing," he stated.
Leadership coach Katy Mooney advises asking if AI usage is monitored or restricted and who makes decisions about tool access—your manager or you. This includes inquiring about a "token allotment," akin to a data plan for AI use. McGoff adds that candidates should ask about flexibility, noting, "if they’re forcing you to use something that feels weird and you don’t like, that matters."
Performance Expectations and Proactive Ideas
Beyond access, it is crucial to understand if and how a manager will evaluate your use of AI. McGoff warns that the expectation to create new AI-integrated procedures can amount to "additional cognitive labour." She suggests asking, "Are you also expected to actually figure out how to implement AI in your job?"
However, Hyman cautions candidates to frame their curiosity carefully to avoid seeming resistant. "The message you want to send... is, 'You’re going to need to hold me back, because I have so many ideas of how we can bring AI to bear,'" he explained. He recommends arriving at an interview with specific ideas for applying AI to the role to demonstrate proactive thinking.
Training and Future-Proofing Your Career
Finally, experts stress the importance of asking how the company will support your development alongside AI. McGoff proposes the direct question: "Will the company be providing comprehensive training resources and support around AI implementation into this role? Or will I be left to fend for myself?"
Mooney suggests open-ended questions like, "How is AI affecting the work you do and your business?" to give interviewers room to explain their philosophy. Ultimately, these questions help candidates gauge whether they will be empowered to explore AI's potential or constrained within rigid boundaries.