I just don't understand your company and the company OP interviewed for. This is like mandating everyone use syntax highlighting or autocomplete, or sit in special type of chair or use a standing desk, and making their use a condition for being hired. Why are companies so insistent that their developers "use AI somehow" in their workflows?
I think it's way more basic. Much like recruiters calling me up and asking about 'kubernetes' they are just trying to get a handle on something they don't really understand. And right now all stickers point to 'AI' as the handle that people should pull on to get traction in software.
It is incredibly saddening to me that people do pattern matching and memorize vocabulary instead of trying to understand things even at a basic level so they can reason about it. But a big part of growing up was realizing that most people don't really understand or care to understand things.