AI is Exploding—Here’s what you’re missing in hiring for AI

Key Insights 

• The best candidates are being recruited through trusted networks.  

• Job boards reward buzzwords, not proven impact.  

• Emotional intelligence and change management are as critical as technical ability.  

• Failed AI implementation drains budgets, damages credibility, and slows innovation. 

• Specialized recruiters understand the intersection of AI, data, and strategy.  

Artificial Intelligence is advancing faster than most organizations can adapt. From predictive analytics to generative models, every company is racing to define its AI strategy. But while many are investing heavily in data, technology, and infrastructure, one critical piece of the equation is being overlooked: the human one.  

Hiring the right AI leader can make, or break, your strategy. And yet, most organizations still rely on outdated hiring tactics like job boards or keyword-based searches to fill roles that demand rare combinations of technical expertise, business acumen, and transformational leadership.  

The uncomfortable truth? Your next great AI hire isn’t on a job board.  

The Job Board Illusion 

AI leadership hiring is unlike any other search. Job boards are built to surface resumes that match keywords—not to identify the minds capable of translating emerging technologies into business outcomes.  

Because AI itself has changed how candidates market their skills, many have learned to optimize their profiles with buzzwords that trigger applicant tracking systems. On paper, they look perfect. In practice, it’s nearly impossible to distinguish those who have truly built and scaled AI programs from those who have merely touched them.  

When companies rely on keyword matches to evaluate AI leaders, they’re not assessing capability; they’re rewarding algorithmic cleverness. That’s why job boards can’t deliver the precision, discernment, or insight needed to find transformational AI talent.  

What Companies Think They Need vs. What They Actually Need

The explosion of AI has created confusion between what organizations think they need and what they actually need. Many assume success depends on hiring deeply technical experts—data scientists, machine learning engineers, or PhDs. But true AI leadership requires more than technical mastery. The best AI executives are change agents—leaders who understand how to bridge technology with strategy, communicate complex concepts across teams, and drive adoption at scale.  

They blend AI expertise with strategic, entrepreneurial, and emotional intelligence. They don’t just build systems; they move organizations forward. Those capabilities don’t show up in a keyword search. They’re revealed through nuanced evaluation by someone who understands how AI, business, and people intersect.  

The Cost of Getting it Wrong

A poor AI hire isn’t just a short-term setback; it can permanently damage your company’s credibility and momentum.  

AI initiatives are expensive. The data infrastructure alone can require millions in investment. When the leader steering that initiative lacks the vision or ability to execute, the results can be catastrophic. Failed implementations erode stakeholder confidence, stall innovation, and make future investment exponentially harder to justify.  

In a market where AI adoption is still new and rapidly evolving, companies that stumble early risk being left behind. Hiring mistakes at this level aren’t just about wasted time—they’re about lost opportunity.  

What it Really Takes to Identify and Attract Great AI Talent

Identifying and attracting the right AI leader is a highly specialized process—one that demands a deep understanding of both the technology and the business strategy behind it. 

Evaluating AI talent goes beyond assessing technical skills. It requires the ability to interpret how a candidate’s experience translates into organizational impact: Can they build alignment across teams? Do they understand how to connect AI capabilities with business objectives? Can they inspire trust and adoption across the organization?  

This type of assessment isn’t something an algorithm or keyword search can replicate. It requires professional discernment, market awareness, and relationships built over years in the AI and data community.  

Top-tier AI leaders are not actively applying for new roles—they’re driving transformation within their current organizations, advising boards, and shaping innovation. Reaching and engaging them takes credibility, context, and strategic insight into what motivates these individuals to explore new opportunities.  

That’s why the organizations that partner with experienced recruiters gain an immediate advantage: access to hard-to-reach talent, the ability to evaluate beyond the resume, and the confidence that every candidate introduced has been vetted for impact.  

As the Practice Leader for the AI, Data/Data Science/Analytics & Tech Practice at BrainWorks, Guy Gomis has spent more than three decades helping organizations identify and secure world-class talent in AI, analytics, and data science. If you’re ready to optimize your AI strategy, now is the time to connect with Guy and learn what you don’t know about hiring for AI success.