Offering more inclusive benefits can help close the AI talent shortage

Organizations have finally come around to artificial intelligence. The new challenge is the shortage of talent to make those innovations successful.  

While 96% of tech leaders plan to increase AI investments in 2025, only 36% have successfully deployed AI to production, according to a new report from tech talent acquisition platform A.Team. As for what's causing the mass discrepancy and delay in AI innovation, 85% of tech leaders blame talent shortages — but that's not necessarily the whole truth. 

"Everyone has been experimenting with these systems, but now organizations are trying to put the AI systems together themselves," says AJ Thomas, A.Team's CEO. "It's not about it being a shortage of the talent that can do that, but rather that they're not going to get everything they need in one full-time hire." 

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The average organization is typically equipped with IT teams that excel at buying and integrating the AI software like software developers, database administrators and system analysts. In order to run and leverage a successful AI system, more niche front and back-end roles will be needed, like machine learning engineers, AI ethics specialists or a robotics engineer.  

One way organizations to bridge that skills gap is by prioritizing blended teams, which are teams made up of traditional full-time tech teams and specialized freelancers. 

"You're not going to get everything you need in-house because a lot of those skills are being experimented on and refined by folks externally," Thomas says. "Organizations are going to have to think differently about recruiting. Instead of viewing it as a role they need to fill, they have to think about it as a collective problem they're trying to solve and identify what's missing or find what they need." 

Blended teams are not just an optimistic theory — it actually works. In fact, 99% of organizations saw increased innovation capability, according to A.Team's findings, 98% saw improved project success rates and 96% saw accelerated speed of delivery. Overall, 91% report faster progress on AI initiatives compared to working with IT services firms. First, however, they'll have to make attracting and recruiting that talent possible. 

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"Organizations are going to have to get down to the fundamentals and establish actual systems, processes and policies that make it easier to have and retain a blended team," Thomas says. "For example, are there ways in which organizations can provide transitional benefit plans? Is there a solution where some of these freelancers can take advantage of a 401(k)? It's just reorganizing where and how things flow." 

Of course, there will need to be a lot of regulation change to ensure that those systems work properly and benefit everyone equally, Thomas acknowledges, which won't happen overnight. But it's important that organizations are proactive about preparing their workforce for the inevitable eventual shift. 

"The future is translating what was to to what could be and what that means going to need to get back to basics," Thomas says. "It's going to be hard work, but the companies that refuse to do it will not only lose market share, they'll lose the ability to stay competitive at all. The future deserves a collective perspective."