Your Life Story is Your Biggest Asset in the Age of AI

Lessons from Cheating in Interviews Using AI

A startup called Cluely recently stirred up a storm in the hiring world. Created by former Columbia University students, the app uses AI to feed real-time, undetectable answers to candidates during interviews, coding challenges, and even casual conversations.

One of its promo videos—featuring co-founder Chungin "Roy" Lee faking art knowledge on a date—went viral and reignited debates around ethics and the future of work. Reports suggest that around 10% of Google’s summer interns used Cluely or its predecessor, Interview Coder, to pass interviews.

Watching this unfold, one thing became clear: in a world where AI can smooth over any flaw and spit out the perfect response, your unique life story—what you’ve overcome, learned, and lived—still matters more than ever.

This isn’t just about cheating in interviews. It’s about what makes someone truly stand out in a world where AI can fake just about anything.

The Arms Race Between Employers and Employees

Cluely isn’t some fringe app. It runs in a hidden browser window, analyzes your screen and audio, and delivers AI-generated answers in real time—from LeetCode questions to “Tell me about a time you faced a challenge.”

It’s billed as invisible to proctoring tools. And it’s worked: users have landed offers at companies like Amazon, Meta, and TikTok.

Lee used his earlier version, Interview Coder, to score internships at top firms—until Amazon flagged his activity. Columbia suspended him in March 2025. That hasn’t slowed Cluely down. It now earns $3 million annually and has raised $5.3 million in seed funding.

Employers are scrambling. Google’s considering bringing back in-person interviews. Amazon is cracking down on unauthorized AI tools. Recruiters have started spotting telltale signs: delayed replies, robotic eye movements, answers that feel just a little too perfect.

Anti-cheating startups are stepping in—but Cluely’s already working on hardware like smart glasses and brain-computer interfaces to stay ahead.

We’re in a loop: candidates using AI to gain an edge, companies racing to detect it. The deeper issue isn’t AI. It’s the way we hire—still too focused on tests that AI can easily game.

Focus on What AI Can’t Do

Interviews should measure how well someone will contribute on the job—not how well they memorize solutions or perform under pressure.

AI is already a daily part of work. People use it to write code, generate reports, analyze trends. So why pretend they won’t use it during interviews?

Rather than fight AI, companies should focus on what AI still can’t fake: lived experience.

AI can produce solid, even polished, answers. But ask it follow-up questions or press for nuance, and it starts to slip. It lacks emotional memory. It doesn’t know what it means to struggle, to reflect, to grow.

Ask someone, “What’s the hardest decision you’ve made, and how did it shape you?” AI might piece something together, but it won’t hold up under scrutiny. Ask for specifics about a past project, a turning point, or a failure. That’s where real stories stand out—and fake ones fall apart.

Leaning into real narratives isn’t just a clever tactic. It’s a better way to hire. It reflects the actual job: one where people will use tools, yes—but also need judgment, grit, and heart.

Lessons from This Fiasco

The panic over Cluely assumes AI will replace humans. But the smarter take is this: AI makes human qualities more important, not less.

Think of a salesperson who connects with clients because they’ve faced real challenges—and know how to listen. Or a teacher who brings decades of classroom stories to life, not just lesson plans.

Even in fields threatened by automation—like entry-level coding or customer support—it’s your lived experience that gives you an edge. A data analyst who’s curious, driven, and insightful will do more than just ask ChatGPT for help. A support rep who learned to defuse conflict through personal experience brings calm no script can match.

AI can automate. But it can’t replace stories grounded in real emotion, effort, or growth.

Sure, AI will get better at faking authenticity. But it’s still just pattern-matching. It can’t actually live a life. And when people tell the real story behind what they’ve done, it shows.

Some worry that letting AI into interviews widens inequality—that those with better tech or storytelling skills get ahead. That’s a fair concern. But it’s solvable. Employers can use standardized prompts. Interviewers can be trained to listen for substance, not style.

Cluely didn’t just reveal how people cheat. It revealed what we actually value—and what we should.

Conclusion

Cluely is a warning shot. Not just about cheating. But about how broken our idea of "talent" is in the AI era.

AI can polish a response. It can even solve the problem. But it can’t live your story. It can’t teach the lessons you learned the hard way. That’s still yours.

Let people use AI in interviews. The real test is: can they offer something AI can’t?

In a world flooded with perfect answers, it’s the imperfect, hard-won, deeply human ones that cut through.

Next time someone asks, “Tell me about yourself”—don’t recite a script. Tell the story only you can tell.

That’s what sets you apart. That’s what no algorithm can touch.