HackerRank launches Chakra, an AI interviewer for developer hiring

In short: HackerRank has released Chakra, an AI tool that can run parts of a job interview for software developer roles.

What happened

HackerRank, a company many employers use to test and hire software developers, is making its AI interviewer called Chakra available to customers. The company says Chakra has been in testing for about six months.

During that testing period, HackerRank says Chakra conducted more than 500,000 interviews. Early testers included Snowflake, Snorkel, and Capgemini.

Chakra is designed to make an interview look more like real work. Instead of only asking quiz-style coding questions, it gives a candidate a task using a real code base (think of it like being handed an existing work folder, not a blank page). As the person works, Chakra can ask follow-up questions about why they made certain choices and what they would change under new rules.

HackerRank CEO Vivek Ravisankar told TechCrunch the company believes employers now need to measure more than just the final answer, because candidates can use AI tools during work. HackerRank also said giving candidates an AI assistant inside the interview reduced “suspicious activity” flags by 70% to 80% compared with traditional assessments, because there is less reason to secretly use outside tools.

Why it matters

More companies are using automated tools in hiring, and that can affect how people prepare for interviews and how they are judged. Chakra also raises a familiar concern, how much decision-making should be handed to software. HackerRank says Chakra provides scores and reports, but humans still make the final hiring decision.

Source: TechCrunch AI