HackerRank launches Chakra, an AI agent that conducts technical job interviews

HackerRank has made Chakra, its AI interviewer agent, generally available after a six-month beta that ran over 500,000 interviews with companies such as Snowflake, Snorkel, and Capgemini. Rather than grading a coding test afterward, Chakra runs the interview live, giving candidates a real repository task alongside an integrated AI assistant. It asks follow-up questions and adjusts difficulty based on answers, then produces competency scores with supporting evidence for hiring teams. HackerRank says permitting visible AI use cut suspicious-activity flags by 70 to 80 percent compared with traditional proctored tests, while unauthorized tools are still flagged. Because AI hiring tools face regulation such as NYC's Local Law 144 and the EU AI Act, the legal responsibility for compliance rests with employers, and final hiring decisions remain human.