Back in April, we attended the World Summit AI Americas at the Palais des Congrès in Montreal. From listening to the headliner speaker Yoshua Bengio, Scientific Director at Mila and IVADO, to panel discussions, workshops and networking, we were rubbing shoulders with the smartest brains in the world when it comes to artificial intelligence.
Several themes emerged over the course of the summit, including the need for guardrails for AI. But one of the topics that particularly interested us was recruiting in the AI space. How can we tap into AI talent to improve performance? Where will we find these resources? Will we still need humans in future? Yes, of course we still need Humans! These are just some of the things we were contemplating while trying to understand generative AI!
Overcoming the AI talent shortage
There will be 54,000 computer science graduates in the USA in 2029 and 1 million jobs available or added to the AI workforce by then. Do you notice there’s a very large gap between those two figures? There will be huge demand for AI experts and not enough talent to meet the need.
What can employers do about this shortage? There are several strategies you can deploy now to help bridge the AI talent gap. They include:
1. Training and upskilling: a strategy that we are currently using so that we can develop existing employees in various sectors. Bootcamps have worked well in the past, as have partnerships with educational institutions, but more on that coming up…
2. Focusing on diversity and inclusion: we can all promote diversity by actively recruiting individuals from different backgrounds and perspectives. How does this help with AI skills? Because diverse teams result in widespread approaches to problem solving, creativity, and new ideas – whether that’s finding innovative ways to use AI, or finding new ways to connect with much-needed talent.
3. Collaborating with AI startups and industry experts: we know that collaborating with AI startups, consultants, and industry experts will help us gain insight into best practices – not to mention help us access the best AI talent. Which is precisely why we attended the AI summit in the first place.
4. Partnering with academic institutions: luckily for us, Montreal is the AI hub in Canada. In particular, Mila is a community of more than 1,000 researchers specializing in machine learning and dedicated to scientific research and development. Most researchers openly welcome industry collaboration, and the flip side for organizations is increased access to AI talent.
5. Working with talent experts: people like us! Here at Expertis Solutions, we’ll continue to expand our IT talent pools, especially when it comes to AI talent. So, if you want easier access to IT talent, a leading IT recruitment firm is a good place to start.
AI is here to stay. How will your organization prepare?
Trust us when we say AI is only just beginning to shake up the world. There’s a long road of innovation and discovery ahead. As such, organizations need to take proactive action to bridge the talent gap and build a skilled and diverse AI workforce.
Do you want to work with leading talent experts in AI? Let’s make IT happen!