> This is the markdown version of https://www.classet.ai/land/candidate-experience > Learn more at https://www.classet.ai A Classet Research Report · Issue Nº 01 · Updated August 2026 # Do candidates actually like AI interviews? We asked 10,167 of them. 88% said yes. The honest watchouts are inside. [Download the report](#download)Free. Work email required. Classet collected 10,167 post-interview ratings between January 17 and August 25, 2026 — every opt-in response, unfiltered — and 88% of candidates rated their AI interview positively. Classet makes Joy, an AI phone interviewer. We had every reason to spin our own data. We didn't. The honest watchouts are inside. Classet · Classet.ai Volume 01 Issue Nº 01 · Candidate Feedback What candidates actually say when AI is on the other end of the call. Jan–Aug 202610,167 candidates 10,167 Post-interview ratings 9,825 Candidates 1,980 Jobs 46.5% Leave written feedback Section 03 · The Headline Numbers ## What candidates actually rate AI interviews. 87.5% of candidates rate the experience positively. 63.9% pick Excellent — the top mark on a four-point scale. The negative share is 12.5%, and most of it isn't about the AI. The monthly average never left the 3.28–3.49 band across eight months of collection: satisfaction is durable, not novelty. Chart 01 · Rating distribution Four-point scale. Every opt-in response, January 17 – August 25, 2026. 63.9% 23.7% 4.6% 7.9% - Excellent63.9%· Top mark - Good23.7%· Positive - Fair4.6%· Neutral - Poor7.9%· Negative Positive · 87.5%Negative · 12.5% > “Best AI I've ever encountered. Felt human.” Candidate · Logistics role Section 05 · The Qualitative Heart ## Five themes that come up over and over. Five themes show up in nearly every industry and both languages we sampled. Theme 01 ### It feels like a real person. The single most frequent unprompted positive theme. Candidates describe forgetting, mid-call, that they're not speaking with a human. “Felt as if I was talking to a real person on the other side.” Logistics role Theme 02 ### Less pressure than a human. Candidates feel less judged and more able to think on an AI call. First-time interviewers and non-native English speakers say it most. “I was more comfortable talking to the AI interviewer than I will be talking to a human.” Healthcare role Theme 03 ### Fast, simple, out of the way. Candidates describe the experience as easy and fast. They value the absence of scheduling and knowing where they stand. “Quick, informative, and responsive.” Manufacturing role Theme 04 ### Good even when something goes wrong. When something does go wrong — dropped mic, lost connection — many candidates still open with praise for the AI. The underlying experience holds. “It was good at the beginning, but the AI interviewer suddenly froze.” Skilled trades role Theme 05 ### Works across languages. Spanish-language feedback is almost entirely positive. Candidates with limited English explicitly note that the AI helps them, not hinders. “My English is not so good, but the AI helped much.” Hospitality role Section 06 · The Honest Watchouts ## Where AI interviewing struggles. And what to do about it. No candidate feedback dataset of this size is all green lights. The issues are real, but small in aggregate, and almost all of them are fixable on the employer side. The full report covers all six watchouts, with the fix for each. - 6.1 ### Pacing and interruption Candidates who pause to think, translate, or process can be cut off. There's a real accessibility dimension worth asking every vendor about. - 6.2 ### The screen-timeout trap Phone sleeps, mic stops, candidate doesn't notice. A pre-call instruction to keep screen awake fixes most of this. - 6.3 ### Transcription accuracy Names and uncommon words get mangled. Candidates are unnerved when they see their name misspelled in the recruiter view. - 6.4 ### Echo on speakerphone The AI hears its own voice and transcribes it as the candidate's answer. A pre-call headphone nudge solves it. - 6.5 ### The small minority who prefer humans 0.13% — 13 of 10,167 candidates — explicitly want a human recruiter. Keep a clear, fast path for them. It's good candidate experience and good sense. Section 07 · The Root-Cause Reveal ## When candidates rate negatively, the AI itself is usually not the reason. We read and classified all 1,072 written comments on negative ratings. The plurality trace to call infrastructure — a microphone that wasn't working, echo on speakerphone, a network that dropped. Complaints about the AI itself account for one quarter of negatives, which is about 3% of all 10,167 ratings. Chart 02 · Root cause of the 12.5% negative ratings Each tile is a share of the 12.5% who rated negatively, not the full sample. Only the two highlighted causes trace to the AI itself. 29% Unclassified / no written feedback Data gap 23% Candidate mic / audio Non-AI cause 20% AI product issue AI cause 16% Disconnection / call crash Non-AI cause 7% Candidate environment Non-AI cause 5% Prefers a human interviewer AI cause Shares are of the 1,270 negative ratings, not the full 10,167 sample. Worried AI interviewing will trigger complaints? Look at what candidates actually complain about. Most of it is infrastructure and instructions. Both of which any TA team can address. The Free Download ## Get the full 29-page report. Plus the practitioner playbook, six objections answered with data, and the full methodology. - Eleven editorial sections, with charts and quotes - The five practices that separate AI interviewing done well from done badly - Six common objections, answered with the data - The full root-cause classification of every negative rating - Full methodology, sample, and limitations ### Download the report Instant access. Work email required. Work Email Address Company Name Current ATSSelect your ATSJazzHRBullhornGreenhouseWorkableLeverWorkdayAshbyBreezyHRBambooHRiCIMSUKG ProClearCompanyJobDivaSAP SuccessFactorsPinpointRecruiteeSalesforceAvionteZoho RecruitTracker RMSManatalJobviteTaleoPaylocityRipplingADPPaychexSmartRecruitersAvatureNone / SpreadsheetsOther How did you hear about us?(optional) Download the report By submitting, you agree to our [Privacy Policy](/privacy). We'll never share your info. In a candidate's own words > “It felt like I was talking to a real person. The AI made me feel comfortable and confident that I am making the right decision to apply for this job.” Candidate · Hospitality role [See how Joy runs these interviews](/product)