AI and the Executive Table | Season 1 | Episode 5 | AI Talent: Hiring, Keeping & Structuring Teams

SHOW NOTES Once organizations move beyond early AI experiments, a new question appears: Do we have the right people to scale this? Eventually internal learning reaches its limits. You need deeper expertise. But hiring AI talent is one of the most competitive challenges companies face today — and the real question is not just who to hire, but how to build the right combination of people. In this episode, Kenza and Amanda discuss when external AI expertise is actually needed, why the search for a unicorn AI hire so often fails, and what a healthy AI team really looks like. They explore how to integrate new talent without creating an elite separate group — and how to retain people who have endless options elsewhere. This is also Amanda's final episode as co-host. She hands over to the next season with a clear message: AI transformation starts with the people who already understand your business. KEY TAKEAWAYS • Hiring too early is as problematic as hiring too late. The trigger should be scaling from pilots to production — not ambition. • AI success does not come from one brilliant hire. It comes from a system of people working together. • The strongest teams combine technical specialists, domain experts, and operational leaders — and pair new external talent with long-tenured internal knowledge. • AI talent stays where they can see their work matter. Meaningful problems and speed of execution matter more than compensation alone.