Bengaluru: Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots are now available for everyday use, and that too for free. People across different age groups use AI assistants for various queries - right from preparing resumes, writing emails, to generating videos, PowerPoint presentations and coding. Soon, recruiters will end up assessing candidates for their 'AI-free' skills.
Organisations are expanding their use of Generative AI, and in another year, hiring practices will begin to differentiate sharply "between candidates who can think independently and those who lean too heavily on machine-generated output," according to Gartner.
This means recruitment will focus more on the ability of candidates to demonstrate problem-solving, evidence valuation and judgment without AI assistance.
"Through 2026, atrophy of critical-thinking skills, due to GenAI use, will push 50% of the global organisations to require 'AI-free' skills assessments," the American research and advisory firm said in its top predictions for IT organisations and users in 2026 and Beyond. "This shift will lengthen hiring processes and intensify competition for talent with proven cognitive capabilities. In high-stakes industries, such as finance, healthcare, and law, the scarcity of such talent will raise acquisition costs and force companies to develop new sourcing and assessment strategies."
In order to differentiate between AI work and AI-free work, specialised testing tools and platforms will be designed that can create a secondary market for AI-free evaluation tools and services.
Somdutta Singh, Serial Entrepreneur, Founder and CEO, Assiduus Global, said she sees both opportunity and responsibility. AI and agents will transform the way we work, but what matters is how we shape that transformation.
"Technology should push us to think better, not think less," Somdutta said. "The idea of AI-free assessments is interesting. We should build systems that strengthen human reasoning, not isolate it. The same goes for governance and safety; they cannot just be compliance checkboxes; they need to be part of culture and leadership."
Somdutta said as AI platforms become more "regional and specialised", she foresees a "world where local intelligence meets global scale". "That is where innovation will thrive, when human insight and AI capability grow side by side," she added.
Enterprises that successfully integrate AI-free evaluation into their broader talent strategies will protect the “human edge” in decision quality and adaptability, providing an advantage that will compound as GenAI reshapes the competitive landscape, Gartner said.
Aditya Narayan Mishra, MD and CEO of CIEL HR, said automation can improve efficiency, but hiring will always need a human lens.
As machines take over routine tasks, organisations are placing greater value on distinctly human skills - strategic thinking, creativity, decision-making, collaboration, and the ability to use technology to solve business problems smartly.
"The best organisations are using technology to handle volume and efficiency, while ensuring that the final hiring decisions still prioritise potential, cultural fit, and problem-solving ability, areas where human intuition matters most," he added.
Gartner also predicted that by the end of 2026, “death by AI” legal claims will exceed 1,000 due to insufficient AI risk guardrails.
Companies will likely showcase either their AI use or lack thereof to differentiate themselves from competitors and mitigate the risk of potential litigation.
The future n Hiring practices will begin to differentiate between candidates who can think independently and those who lean heavily on AI n This means recruitment will focus more on candidates’ ability to demonstrate problem-solving and judgment without AI assistance n To differentiate between AI work and AI-free work, specialised testing tools and platforms will be designed
"Technology should push us to think better not think less. The idea of AI-free assessments is interesting. We should build systems that strengthen human reasoning not isolate it," Somdutta Singh Founder and CEO Assiduus Global