Candidates mostly drop out because of how the AI interview is run, not because AI is involved. In Greenhouse's 2026 survey, the top reasons were one-way video scored only by AI, no upfront disclosure, and AI monitoring. Clear disclosure, a conversational format, human review and a fast decision address most of them.
The Greenhouse 2026 Candidate AI Interview Report surveyed 2,950 job seekers in the US, UK, Ireland, Germany and Australia. 63% said they had been interviewed by an AI, up 13 points in six months. 38% of US candidates said they had withdrawn from a hiring process because it included an AI interview, and another 12% said they would.
Are candidates rejecting AI itself?
Mostly not. Only 19% of respondents said they wanted less AI in hiring. What they object to is a handful of practices, and the survey ranks them.
The top trigger is a pre-recorded interview scored entirely by AI with no human reviewer (33%). Next is the employer not disclosing AI use beforehand (27%), then AI monitoring during the interview (26%), and being required to complete a fully AI-led interview with no human alternative (26%).
Talking to an AI is not on that list. Being recorded, judged by something nobody mentioned, and then ignored is.
How big is the disclosure gap?
Large. 70% of candidates who went through an AI interview said they were not clearly informed, and 20% found out only when the interview started (Greenhouse).
This is the cheapest fix in hiring. One sentence in the job post, one in the invitation and one at the start of the interview: you will speak with an AI interviewer, this is what it asks, this is how the answers are used, and a person reviews the result before any decision.
The legal side is covered in Do You Have to Tell Candidates They're Interviewed by AI?
Why does silence after the interview matter so much?
Because it is a very common outcome. Among candidates who completed an AI interview, 51% had no outcome at all: 38% never heard back and 13% were still waiting.
A candidate who spends 20 minutes answering an AI and then hears nothing concludes that nobody looked. AI interviews actually make closing the loop easier, because every interview leaves a transcript and a score. If your ATS holds that record, sending every candidate a decision within a few days is a workflow setting.
What would make candidates comfortable?
When asked, candidates named the option to request a human interview instead (46%), upfront disclosure (44%) and a clear explanation of what the AI is measuring (39%).
Each of these is a process choice. AI can run the first-round conversation at any hour and in the candidate's language. A person still reads the transcript, checks the scores against the job and makes the call.
One more finding: 36% of candidates reported age bias from both AI and human interviewers. AI does not remove bias by default. What it can do is make the evaluation easier to inspect.
Can AI interviews improve your employer brand?
They can go either way. 38% of candidates said an AI interview improved their view of the employer, and 34% said it made it worse.
The difference is in the setup: whether the candidate was told, whether the questions fit the job, whether it felt like a conversation, and whether anyone followed up. A structured phone conversation a candidate can take at 9pm in their own language, followed by a decision within the week, compares well with many human first-round screens.
A checklist to reduce drop-off
Disclose AI use in the job post, the invitation and the first 30 seconds of the interview, and say that a person reviews the outcome.
Prefer a conversational format over one-way recorded video, and write role-specific questions.
Offer a human alternative on request.
Keep a person in the loop on every rejection, with the transcript and scores available.
Reply to every candidate within a set number of days.
How GetHirePlus fits these findings
GetHirePlus AI phone interviews are conversational rather than recorded video, run 24/7 in 8+ languages, and use a question bank your team writes. Each interview produces a transcript and per-question scores that a recruiter reviews in the ATS before a candidate is moved forward or rejected.
For the mechanics, see How Do AI Phone Interviews Work?
Sources
Greenhouse, 2026 Candidate AI Interview Report (blog summary)
Greenhouse newsroom, "63% of Job Seekers Have Faced an AI Interview"