Alexandra is a Senior Content Editor at Techopedia with 10+ years of experience in covering tech, finance, and crypto industries. Previously, Alex served as a…
What if solving coding problems without assistance is no longer the standard for proving you can code?
That question is quietly taking shape at Meta. A new internal memo, first captured by 404 Media, shows that the Facebook parent is piloting a new initiative they call “AI-Enabled Interviews.” According to the memo, the new interview format will allow software developer candidates to use AI tools during coding assessments, simulating the same environment they would encounter on the job if hired.
As AI tools become standard in development workflows, Meta’s experiment could signal a turning point in how coding skills are evaluated.
We’ll examine how the shift may redefine cheating in software engineering hiring and why Meta is quietly testing its AI interview helper ahead of many other competitors.
Why Meta is Backing AI-Assisted Hiring
Coding interviews have long been rooted in the idea that candidates should solve problems alone, without any external assistance. The goal was often to evaluate a candidate’s internal knowledge of the coding processes required for the job. But the report by 404 Media about Meta’s plan to allow AI coding assistants in developer interviews has naturally reopened the debate about what constitutes cheating in the hiring process.
Meta argues that if software engineers rely on AI tools in their daily work, then it’s only logical to evaluate them in that same context.
“This is more representative of the developer environment that our future employees will work in, and also makes LLM-based cheating less effective,” an excerpt from the internal memo reads.
While Meta hasn’t come out publicly to announce this initiative, the company’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, during a January appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, predicted that AI tools will soon be capable of carrying out many coding functions more like mid-level engineers.
“Probably in 2025, we at Meta, as well as the other companies that are basically working on this, are going to have an AI that can effectively be a sort of midlevel engineer that you have at your company that can write code,” the Meta CEO said.
The move also aligns with the company’s broader vision of superintelligence, where AI will be directed centrally towards “automating all valuable work.”
AI as a Legitimate Coding Partner
The global market segment for AI code tools is projected to reach $12.6 billion in 2028, up from $4.3 billion recorded by Markets and Markets in 2023. Its growth is largely because more developers are increasingly using AI tools to write and refactor code, troubleshoot bugs, and even document systems.
According to IBM, one of the most immediate benefits of using AI in coding is the increase in developer productivity. Earlier this year, the company revealed that some of its developers using IBM Watsonx Code Assistant are seeing 90% time savings on code explanation, 59% time reduction on documentation and about 38% time reduction in code generation and testing.
Google and Microsoft also claimed that around one-third of their new code is AI-generated.
During Meta’s LlamaCon 2025 AI developer event, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella specifically said:
“Maybe 20%, 30% of the code that is inside of our repos today and some of our projects are probably all written by software.”
Speaking to Techopedia earlier in August, Shaw Walters, the founder of Eliza Labs, also acknowledged the role of AI in software development.
He said:
“Vibe coding makes it possible to ship real apps to non-programmers, which could unlock plenty of new talent for people with the right mindset about systems and products.”
These disclosures from the tech industry’s big names support Zuckerberg’s earlier claim of AI being a core part of the developer environment, which can serve as midlevel engineers.
Impacts of AI in Coding Careers: The Good and the Ugly
Meta’s initiative could redefine what it means to be “good at coding.” It also signals that the best engineers of tomorrow might not necessarily be those who can regurgitate textbook solutions, but those who can delegate, verify, and extend what AI produces.
Last year, the Gartner Magic Quadrant for AI Code Assistants predicted that by 2028, about 90% of enterprise software engineers will use AI code assistants. Koboto AI, a startup building self-coordinating agent networks, shares this belief too, stating that most future software will be largely AI-authored.
Yet, while incorporating AI in the coding environment is expected to free up workloads for developers, it still brings with it many new risks. According to the State of Software Delivery 2025 by Harness, 92% of developers believe AI tools help increase output, but this surge comes at a cost. The report notes that the “blast radius” of bad code deployments has increased, with 67% of developers spending more time debugging AI-generated code. Meanwhile, 68% said they’re encountering more AI-related security flaws than before.
The report also warns that widespread AI adoption may trigger “shadow IT” risks, where tools and scripts developed outside formal oversight introduce long-term maintainability and compliance issues.
So, while companies move towards automating coding in their pipelines, it is important they also know that leaning too heavily on AI suggestions during coding without adequate review could result in fragile systems.
The Bottom Line
AI is gradually creeping into the core fabric of modern software engineering. Meta’s plan could probably be the first time a big tech company is openly encouraging the use of AI tools even in developer assessments. If successful, the move could influence hiring processes across the tech industry as more competitors embrace final round AI interviews in their hiring processes. But it also forces a legit question: if AI takes on more of the coding burden, how do developers ensure software remains secure, maintainable, and human-centered?
The future developer might not write every line of code from scratch, but they’ll definitely need to know how to guide the machines that do so.
