The US federal government will begin using artificial intelligence to screen and interview candidates for some new hires within days, starting with a pilot program that recruits private-sector tech talent into temporary government roles. The move places the nation's largest employer - with 1.9 million workers - alongside private-sector giants that already use AI as a first filter in high-volume hiring.
CBS reported the development Monday, citing US officials. The technology will be tested through CodeSignal's platform on the "Tech Force," an initiative launched eight months ago to bring private-sector tech experts into two-year government posts. AI agents will handle early-round interviews by phone, audio, and text, with hiring managers receiving transcribed recordings of those conversations.
OPM already runs multiple AI tools
The Office of Personnel Management, the government's human resources unit, already uses AI regularly. Administrative staff have access to Microsoft's Copilot, Anthropic's Claude, OpenAI's ChatGPT, and Google's Gemini on their government computers. Earlier this year, OPM also began using an AI tool to prepare job descriptions.
OPM has issued guidance encouraging agencies to adopt AI in hiring, provided human oversight remains in place - particularly for key personnel decisions. Director Scott Kupor has pushed to make federal hiring faster and urged agency heads to fill at least a third of new positions with early-career professionals as the federal workforce ages.
How the CodeSignal pilot works
The Tech Force pilot will use CodeSignal's AI-powered tools to screen applications during initial hiring rounds. Virtual AI agents conduct the interviews, offering phone, audio, and text-based options. Hiring managers then receive transcribed recordings of each candidate's responses rather than sitting through live interviews themselves.
Several officials told CBS that AI is likely to become more common across federal hiring. The government has lagged behind private employers in adopting these screening tools, and the pilot represents a concrete step toward closing that gap for AI for Human Resources functions inside federal agencies.
Why this matters for government professionals
Federal hiring managers should expect AI screening tools to reshape early-stage recruitment workflows within their agencies. If you review job applications or conduct first-round interviews, you may soon receive AI-generated transcripts and recommendations rather than raw resumes. The OPM guidance requiring human oversight signals that final decisions remain with people - but the efficiency pressure from leadership is real. Understanding how these tools evaluate candidates, and where they introduce blind spots, will become part of the job for anyone involved in federal talent acquisition.
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