APS Pitch CheckerUsing AI in an APS job application: what the APSC principles allow
Short answer: Yes, within limits: the APSC's principles for candidates allow AI to refine your own draft, check grammar and formatting, research public information and practise for interviews, unless the agency says otherwise. They rule out using AI to inflate or invent experience, pasting in generic AI responses, entering confidential workplace information, or having AI answer real interview questions or write assessments.
Can you use ChatGPT or another AI tool to help write an APS job application? In April 2026 the Australian Public Service Commission published principles for exactly this question. The short version is yes, within limits. This page summarises what the principles say, what they rule out, and a practical way to use AI that stays inside them.
Where the rules come from
The APSC's AI in recruitment page (published April 2026) links to three documents: Principles for candidate use of AI in recruitment for applicants, plus principles for agencies and a guide for agencies on managing candidate use of AI. The candidate principles say agencies must give you a link to them, in the candidate pack or the job ad, so look for it when you apply. Some agencies may publish their own version, and an agency can ask you not to use AI for a particular stage. The ad or pack always takes priority over a general summary like this one.
This page applies to Commonwealth (APS) jobs. State and territory governments may have their own rules, so check the ad if you're applying elsewhere.
What's acceptable and what isn't
The principles group their guidance under four headings: be transparent, authentic and truthful; use AI to support, not substitute your own experience or capabilities; act ethically and fairly; and be mindful of privacy and protect your personal data. Their examples, in our words:
| Stage | Acceptable | Not acceptable |
|---|---|---|
| Written application and resume | Refining your own draft; clarifying your ideas; researching public information about the agency; checking spelling, grammar and formatting | Inflating, fabricating or misrepresenting your skills and experience; generating a generic response and pasting it in; entering sensitive or confidential information about a current or former workplace |
| Interview preparation | Practising, including AI mock interviews | Generating answers to the actual interview questions, or reusing answers an AI mock interview wrote for you |
| Written assessment or work sample | Checking spelling, grammar and formatting; researching public information | Having AI generate the assessment or work sample |
The theme running through all of it: the content has to be yours and true, and you must be able to talk about every claim. The principles say you should only use AI to enhance what you have already drafted, and that you must be able to fully explain any claim about your experience, qualifications or capabilities.
If the agency asks whether you used AI
Agencies may ask whether you used AI, partly to understand your AI capability, which is becoming relevant to many APS roles. The APSC's guide for agencies includes a sample transparency question asking whether AI helped prepare any part of the application and, if so, which tools and which parts. If you're asked, the principles expect a truthful answer, and you should be ready to explain which tools you used, at what stage and how, including what your own contribution was.
A plain, accurate answer is enough. For example (fictional): "I wrote my pitch myself, then used an AI assistant to suggest cuts to get under the 750-word limit and to check grammar. I accepted some suggestions and rejected others. All examples and results are my own."
The principles are direct about the risks of misrepresentation: removal from the recruitment process, and for APS employees, possible formal sanctions up to and including termination.
What not to paste into an AI tool
The principles warn against entering classified, sensitive or confidential information into AI tools, especially public ones, and suggest reading each tool's privacy and data-use terms. In practice, before you paste a draft into any AI tool:
- Remove names of colleagues, clients and members of the public.
- Remove case details, internal project names that aren't public, security-classified material and anything marked official or sensitive.
- Replace exact internal figures with rounded ones if they aren't public, and put the real ones back yourself afterwards.
- Don't paste your full resume with your address, phone number and date of birth. The tool doesn't need them.
If you're a current APS employee, your agency's own AI policy also applies. The Digital Transformation Agency's AI in government material is the wider Commonwealth context.
A workflow that stays inside the principles
- Build your evidence yourself. List your real examples with the situation, what you did and the result. This is the part AI can't do honestly, because it doesn't know what happened.
- Write the first draft yourself, even if it's rough and over the limit. The principles frame acceptable use as refining what you have already drafted.
- Use AI as an editor, not an author. Useful prompts: "Point out sentences that are vague", "Which sentences describe background rather than my actions?", "Suggest cuts to reach 500 words without removing results". Ask it to suggest, then make the changes yourself.
- Check every sentence is still true. AI edits can quietly upgrade "helped with" to "led", or turn an estimate into a precise number. Reverse anything that overstates.
- Read it aloud. If a sentence doesn't sound like you, rewrite it. The principles ask for your genuine voice.
- Run a final mechanical check. The free pitch checker on this site uses simple rules in your browser, not AI, and sends nothing anywhere. It shows the word count, approximate STAR balance, "I" vs "we" and overused phrases.
- Keep a note of what tools you used and for what, in case the agency asks.
Why generic AI drafts score poorly anyway
Rules aside, unedited AI drafts tend to do badly for a simple reason: panels score evidence, and a model writing without your facts can only produce claims. Common signs panels mention in public discussions, such as threads on r/AusPublicService:
- Polished but general sentences that could apply to anyone ("I thrive in dynamic environments").
- The selection criteria repeated back with adjectives instead of examples.
- No numbers, names of systems or specific outcomes.
- The same phrases and structure across many applications for the same job.
The fix is the same with or without AI: one real situation, what you did, and what changed. See pitch examples by level and word budgets for 500, 750 and 1000 words for the structure.
This is a plain-English summary of public APSC material as at October 2026, not official guidance. Read the current principles and your job ad, which take priority.
FAQ
Is it allowed to use ChatGPT for an APS application?
Generally yes, unless the agency excludes it. The APSC principles say AI can help refine what you've drafted, but the content must be true, personalised and something you can fully explain.
Do I have to disclose that I used AI?
If the agency asks, the principles expect a truthful answer about which tools you used, when and how. Some application forms include a question about AI use.
Can I use AI in a written assessment or interview?
The principles list generating a written assessment or work sample, and generating answers to actual interview questions, as unacceptable. Using AI for mock interview practice is acceptable.
What happens if AI-written claims aren't true?
The principles say misrepresentation can lead to removal from the recruitment process and, for APS employees, formal sanctions up to and including termination.
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Disclosure: Mint sells the APS Pitch Kit mentioned above. This guide is independent general information, not affiliated with the APSC or any agency. Examples are fictional. Last updated 2026-10-21.