Job hunting is the worst. It may not be as bad as the 2008 Great Recession, and certainly not as dire as the Great Depression, but advances in technology and remote work have made the already difficult process of finding a job infinitely more competitive and frustrating.
Job seekers are starting to show their aggravation in some admittedly pretty clever ways.
Man shows up to AI ‘job interview’ with a special guest
Graham, who runs the YouTube channel Graham Dot Zip, recently posted a new video titled “I Sent an AI to My Job Interview. So Did the Company.”
In the video, he sits down to supposedly interview with a company called “Brightwell Home” and is quickly introduced to an affable if uncannily off-putting AI avatar recruiter named “Pat.”
Pat welcomes Graham to the call but immediately notices something suspicious going on: “I see there’s someone else on the call with us today?” Pat asks.
“That’s Victor,” Graham says. “Victor is my representative. He’s just here because he knows my resume better than I do, so he’s going to make sure nothing gets lost in translation.”
Victor, of course, is also an AI avatar.
For his part, once the introductions are over, Graham sits back and lets Victor handle most of the interview. What follows is roughly six minutes of unhinged chaos. A few highlights:
Victor immediately oversells Graham’s accomplishments, calling him a “powerhouse” marketing manager who leads a team of four people. Graham tries to correct Victor with a “quick sidebar.” It turns into an amicable shouting match as everyone talks over each other for what feels like an eternity while Graham tries to explain that he doesn’t, in fact, manage anyone.
The salary negotiations go off the rails, as well. Victor calls Graham “incredibly flexible on that front” and offers to accept a salary of $60,000. Graham butts in to clarify that he’s actually looking for about double that. But Pat won’t budge. “We’ll stick with the current salary range for now,” he says with nothing behind his eyes.
Graham leaves the room while the two avatars negotiate the salary range. Only, they never get around to negotiating, but instead schedule a follow-up call without consulting Graham.
The two AI avatars then attempt to say goodbye and end the call, but both insist on having the last word. The pleasant sign-offs go round in circles for more than a full minute.
When Graham returns, Pat confirms that the salary range has somehow jumped to $85,000-$90,000 without any discussion or explanation whatsoever.
In the end, Graham withdraws himself from consideration from the role. And who could blame him?
A scenario crafted for YouTube but based in reality
Graham is a comedian known for satirical viral videos. So no, this was not an authentic job interview captured on film.
But even though it’s “fake,” it’s not exactly far-fetched.
AI has been digging its claws into the recruiting process for years. ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) have used artificial intelligence to pre-screen and filter resumes and LinkedIn candidates for over a decade.
And now, AI-driven interviews are rapidly growing in popularity. Recently, the prestigious consulting firm McKinsey began rolling out an AI avatar that role-plays as a client to challenge how applicants handle different scenarios. Online platforms let applicants practice interviews with these AI-generated recruiters to sharpen their responses.
So, it’s really not hard to imagine a world where applicants send their own AI avatar, or bring one along for support, to job interviews. Graham’s skit may be hyperbolic, but many people are already using AI to draft their resumes and cover letters, which AI agents then scan and screen. These AI-on-AI interactions are already happening at all levels of the job search.
As Graham shows, the results of two AI avatars facing off are absurd and unproductive. But the funniest (and the bleakest) thing about the video is that it’s not that far from reality.
Graham’s video racked up nearly three million views in just two days, with commenters applauding the comedy on display:
“The AIs interrupting each other, pausing, waiting two seconds, resuming and going on in a loop is … amazing.”
“AI just absolutely cannot stand not getting the last word”
“We finally figured out how to defeat AI. Just instruct them to politely say goodbye to each other.”
“What a stupid future we have created for ourselves”
Old school approaches to job hunting are coming back
Fascinatingly, not everyone opposes being interviewed by an AI agent. In 2025, NPR highlighted a University of Chicago study showing that many job candidates believe AI would be fairer, more objective, and less discriminatory than a human interviewer.
Still, many find the job search dehumanizing in 2026 and are resorting to old-school methods that rely on human connection.
For every Graham slogging it out through AI interviews and looping in their own AI agents to negotiate the best deal, there are more and more people sending physical mail, handing their printed resumes to actual human beings, and inviting old contacts out for coffee. It sounds outdated, but that’s exactly what makes it stand out, and what makes it work.
A free ChatGPT subscription can whip up a polished resume that may or may not get you past the AI screening, but it can’t look a hiring manager in the eye, shake their hand, and leave them with a good impression.
And if Graham’s video teaches us anything, it’s that AI can’t even figure out how to hang up a call.
