Purpose
These principles describe how you can use AI tools when applying for a role at the department as well as how we will use AI when recruiting. It covers the recruitment process - from writing your application, to interviews and assessments.
These principles should be read in conjunction with:
- AI Plan for the Australian Public Service 2025
- Policy for the responsible use of AI in government (PDF)
- Australia’s AI Ethics Principles
- Artificial Intelligence Transparency Statement
- Principles for candidate use of AI in recruitment (PDF) APSC resource
The principles aim to help you use Al in a way that supports your application and maintains fairness and transparency in recruitment while maintaining your integrity as a candidate.
We may review these guidelines over time to ensure they remain relevant, fair and effective.
How we use Al in recruitment
We may use AI tools when recruiting to support administrative efficiency, such as to:
- support the development of job advertisements
- support the development of candidate information kits.
We do not use AI to make selection decisions about candidates. This includes not using AI to assess, screen, compare or rank applications or resumes.
All shortlisting, assessment and selection decisions are made by a human selection panel, consistent with APS merit-based recruitment principles.
What we expect from you
These principles are intended to help you:
- use AI tools in a way that upholds honesty, authenticity and fairness
- understand your responsibilities when using AI in recruitment processes
- avoid practices that may constitute misrepresentation or undermine merit-based selection processes.
Recruitment is merit-based, so it is important that you represent yourself genuinely and truthfully throughout the process.
Following these principles demonstrates conduct consistent with the APS values.
When applying for a role with us, you are expected to:
Be transparent, authentic and truthful
Only include information that genuinely reflects your skills, experience and achievements. Use your own knowledge when answering questions in your written applications, skills assessments or interviews.
We want to hear your own ideas, skills and understanding of the role. AI can help you prepare but in interviews and skills assessments you must speak to your own experience and demonstrate your own capabilities.
Misrepresenting your capabilities or experience can compromise the integrity of the recruitment and may lead to removal from the process, failed background checks or formal sanctions, including termination of employment.
When asked, you need to tell us how you have used AI tools to support your responses. This helps us understand your approach and maintain fairness.
Use AI to support, not substitute your own experience or capabilities
AI can help you present your application clearly and prepare for interviews but your input and authenticity must remain central.
You may use AI to help you prepare or organise your thoughts, including:
- Learning and preparing: researching the department, the APS and the role; explaining unfamiliar terms or brainstorming before you draft your application.
- Reviewing your writing: checking spelling, grammar, phrasing or readability; shortening content you wrote or improving structure and flow.
- Practising for assessments: rehearsing interview questions or mock scenarios or using hypothetical challenges to practise behavioural responses.
These uses are acceptable because you remain the author of your ideas, examples and claims.
Using AI to generate answers to actual interview questions, written assessments or work sample tests is not an acceptable use of AI.
These expectations support a fair, merit-based and transparent recruitment process.
Be mindful of privacy and protect your personal data
AI tools can help you prepare your resume or written application but they can also create privacy and data security risks. Do not enter classified, sensitive or confidential information into AI tools and make sure you understand the tool’s privacy policy and data use terms before using it.
AI tools may store or use the data you enter in ways you do not expect, including personal information and workplace information that may be sensitive or confidential. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner provides guidance on ways to protect your privacy. Inputting sensitive or confidential information, including government information, may breach workplace policies and could lead to sanctions for APS employees. You may also find the Staff guidance on public generative AI useful.