What Talent Acquisition Needs to Know About AI Hiring Right Now
- rebecca16083
- May 26
- 3 min read
“There’s no playbook for hiring in these roles—because many of them didn’t exist 18 months ago.”
That’s just one of the powerful takeaways from a recent conversation between Rebecca Hastings, founder of Lucent Search, and Adam Gordon, CEO of Poetry and host of the Recruiter Enablement YouTube channel. In a candid and insight-packed interview, Rebecca shared what she’s hearing from over 100 global AI and data leaders—and what talent acquisition needs to do differently in response.
AI hiring isn’t just a niche problem for tech teams. It’s quickly becoming the most strategic challenge facing CEOs and Chief People Officers alike. Rebecca’s recent research into senior AI and data leadership roles—conducted across sectors from pharma to financial services—uncovered deep frustrations with hiring, job design, and organizational support.
For talent acquisition leaders, the implications are clear: success in this space requires a radical rethink of everything from how roles are defined to how candidates are engaged.
Here are the five biggest takeaways from her conversation with Adam Gordon.
1. AI Talent Is Moving Faster Than the Market Can Keep Up
Rebecca revealed a striking statistic:
“63% of the people I surveyed said they’re actively looking for their next role.”
These are C-level and near-C-level hires—roles you’d expect to be stable. But in AI, short tenure isn’t about restlessness. Many leaders feel they’ve already delivered transformative outcomes and hit roadblocks. As Adam reflected,
“Every month their market value increases... companies left behind are willing to pay more to catch up.”
TA takeaway: This is a dynamic, mobile talent pool. Build hiring strategies around speed, influence, and long-term development, not just compensation.
2. Hiring AI Talent Isn’t Like Hiring Engineers
“91% of respondents said hiring AI talent is hard and they don’t always know why.”
Traditional sourcing and hiring approaches fall short when applied to talent this specialized and in-demand. Roles are often ill-defined, hiring managers don’t always agree on expectations, and internal collaboration is fragmented.
“These roles aren’t just about tech—they’re shaping the organization. And when cross-functional collaboration is broken, everything stalls,” Rebecca explained.
TA takeaway: You can’t approach this like a typical software engineering brief. AI hiring requires co-designed roles, deeper candidate insights, and more senior TA involvement earlier in the process.
3. Retention Is About Autonomy, Not Just Salary
While eye-catching comp packages exist—Rebecca cited a post-PhD candidate offered over £1M—she stressed:
“Money isn’t always the motivator. Influence and autonomy come up again and again.”
These candidates want meaningful impact, strategic scope, and a seat at the table. Without that, retention drops off quickly—even in the best-resourced companies.
TA takeaway: Position your organization to offer influence, not just income. Job design, internal visibility, and clear problem ownership all matter more than perks.
4. The Experience of Hiring Feels Transactional to Candidates
Many AI leaders feel the hiring process lacks nuance.
“The support they get from TA often isn’t differentiated. These aren’t standard hires, and they know it.”
TA teams are stretched—and often expected to run high-volume processes alongside niche, business-critical searches. But candidates notice the difference.
TA takeaway: If you want to compete for top-tier talent, you need to roll out the red carpet. Think personalization, thought-leadership content, strategic sourcing, and white-glove candidate experience.
5. TA Has a Strategic Role to Play—If It Grabs It
“This is the moment for TA to get into the boardroom,” Rebecca emphasized.
She urged recruiters to educate business leaders on the commercial risk of getting AI hiring wrong—and the cost of delay or attrition.
“If we don’t hire these people and our competitors do, this is how much it costs.”
TA takeaway: Speak the language of business. Talent acquisition isn’t just a service function—it’s the engine behind your organization's ability to evolve.
AI hiring isn’t just a talent trend—it’s a strategic inflection point.
To dive deeper into Rebecca’s research and learn how to evolve your hiring strategy, visit Lucent Search’s Knowledge Center, explore the AI Leadership Guide, or connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn.
For a more conversational take, catch her full interview with Adam Gordon on the Recruiter Enablement YouTube channel.
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