How to spot AI-generated work in applicants’ portfolios?

Question

Description:

Hiring managers increasingly worry about applicants submitting AI-assisted designs, writing samples, or code. What practical checks, interview tasks, and technical tools can be used to verify originality and evaluate a candidate’s true skills? Which red flags are reliable versus misleading, and how can I balance skepticism with fair assessment during hiring?

5 Answers

Sort by:

Addison Sullivan 15 Aug 2025

Copy answer link Report answer
require process artifacts: drafts, commits, issue discussions and a short recorded walkthrough recreating one change, pay for micro-projects, be explicit about ai rules...
26
- Joseph Garcia: Thanks for the detailed tips! When you say "be explicit about AI rules," do you mean setting clear guidelines on what’s acceptable in the work?
  Report
  Addison Sullivan: Exactly Joseph! Setting clear guidelines upfront on what’s acceptable regarding AI tools helps everyone understand expectations and keeps the evaluation fair. It also encourages applicants to be transparent about how they use AI in their work
  Report
Camila Hunter 15 Aug 2025

Copy answer link Report answer
Require small constrained takehome tied to your stack then do teach-back plus live debugging to probe depth use similarity detectors and metadata checks
19
Camila Pierce 14 Dec 2025

Copy answer link Report answer
Think relying solely on AI-detection tools is enough? It’s not. The best way to spot AI-generated work is through live, interactive assessments that force candidates to explain their process and adapt on the fly. For example, after a take-home coding test, have them debug or extend their code in a live session. This exposes gaps in understanding that AI can’t fake. Red flags include inconsistent style between portfolio pieces and live work, but don’t mistake nervousness or new tools for dishonesty—always balance skepticism with fair assessment by combining multiple evaluation methods.
11
Layla Richardson 25 Jan 2026

Copy answer link Report answer
I once caught a candidate whose portfolio was spotless but stumbled badly in a live Figma redesign task. Use tools like GitHub’s code history and Turnitin for writing checks. In interviews, assign quick, unplanned edits in Sketch or VS Code. If they freeze or can’t explain choices, it’s a red flag. Don’t rely on AI detectors alone—focus on live problem-solving and process transparency.
7

Want to answer?

Join the conversation and help others by sharing your insights.

Log in to your account or create a new one — it only takes a minute and gives you the ability to post answers, vote, and build your expert profile.

Log in or Register ›

How we moderate answers

We manually review all contributions to ensure that every answer provides clear, actionable, and professionally relevant guidance. We prioritize responses that show practical experience, cite real examples, or demonstrate familiarity with hiring, skills, and job-market trends. Low-quality, duplicate, or AI-generated content that lacks substance is filtered out to maintain accuracy and credibility across the platform.

What makes a high-quality answer

A high-quality answer offers structured, practical, and experience-based guidance that directly addresses the question. Strong answers include specific steps, industry examples, tools or frameworks, and clear reasoning rather than vague opinions. They avoid emotional language, personal journaling, or lifestyle advice, and instead focus on skills, responsibilities, hiring expectations, resumes, interviews, salary insights, and career transitions. Answers written by individuals with verified professional backgrounds or direct experience in the field are prioritized.

Expert participation rules

Experts participating in Q&A must base their answers on real professional experience, not speculation or generic statements. Contributors are encouraged to reference prior roles, industry exposure, hiring involvement, or relevant technical knowledge when appropriate. All expert responses must remain objective, neutral, and career-focused, avoiding promotional content, personal anecdotes, or lifestyle guidance. Verified experts may receive enhanced visibility on the platform, but only if their contributions consistently meet our quality standards and align with Jobicy’s career-focused topic guidelines.

Accepted Answer · 2025-09-08T00:42:12+00:00

Ask candidates to explain decisions behind their work, like why they chose a certain design or approach. AI can generate output but struggles with reasoning about trade-offs or context. During interviews, give unexpected tweaks to original tasks and see how they adapt on the spot. Also check if their style is consistent across samples and live work. Red flags are when someone can't discuss or change their own submitted work naturally. Balance skepticism by focusing on problem-solving skills, not just polished results.