Can a company's AI strategy turn off talent?

An organisation's strategy on artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a strong lever for talent recruitment and retention, according to a new report, as many employees are considering jumping roles in the next year.

New findings from Globalization Partners (G-P) revealed how AI alignment is becoming a new recruitment and retention currency in workplaces.

More than half of employees (58%) said they would turn down a job offer if a company's AI values and ethical standards did not align with their own.

Nearly three in four respondents (73%) also said they want their next employer to embrace AI and emerging technology as a core part of how the company operates.

"Evaluating an organisation's 'AI taste' isn't just about reviewing its outputs. It's also about how ethically and intentionally the company embeds AI into its daily human workflows," said Laura Maffucci, head of HR at G-P, in the report.

"Modern candidates can spot the difference between superficial automation and meaningful human/AI collaboration."

New AI-driven hiring challenges

The growing scrutiny of an organisation's "AI taste" comes as more than 60% of the report's respondents said they are considering job moves in the next year.

"Companies that fail to articulate clear, forward-thinking, and ethically aligned AI strategies risk losing top-tier talent to tech-embracing competitors," the report read.

"Being seen as an innovative tech leader is now essential for hiring."

Employers also recognise this growing scrutiny, as 92% of executives agree their organisation's AI strategy influences its ability to attract and retain top talent.

This challenge adds to the growing burden on employers, who are shifting the skills they demand from employees in the wake of AI-enabled workplaces.

Nearly a third of employers (32%) believe that the shift to skills-based hiring will be the workplace trend defining the next decade, with skills verification emerging as the second-highest hiring problem to solve.

The top issue for employers is the difficulty of finding skilled talent. According to the report, the most critical skills for an automated workplace are human-focused. They include:

• Critical thinking (42%)
• Creativity (37%)
• Communication (35%)
• Leadership (34%)
• Emotional intelligence (32%)
• Agility (23%)
• Cross-cultural collaboration (21%)