The Fight for AI Talent: Why Strategy, Not Salaries, Will Win
The demand for AI talent has reached a fever pitch. From early-stage startups to tech giants, organisations are competing to attract machine learning engineers, data scientists, AI researchers, and technical product leaders.
Base salaries are unheard of, equity packages are inflating, and job boards are flooded with roles few are qualified to fill. The reality is there simply aren’t enough AI professionals to go around.
So what now?
At Caerus Strategy, we believe the most successful companies in this AI race won’t just be the highest bidders, they’ll be the ones with the most thoughtful, strategic, and compelling approach to attracting and enabling that talent pool.
AI Talent Isn’t Just Technical
While PhDs and GitHub stars matter, the best AI hires don’t just write models. They bring critical thinking, experimentation, and cross-functional collaboration to ambiguous, fast-evolving spaces. They’re creative problem-solvers who understand product constraints and ethical risk.
The mistake many organisations make is treating AI hiring like a purely technical task, focusing only on coding skills, model architecture, or academic credentials. But the best AI professionals want to work with purpose, not just data.
To compete, companies need to clearly answer:
What meaningful problem will this person help us solve?
Will they be empowered to shape that solution or asked to bolt on automation at the end?
Is this a career-making opportunity or just a “we need an AI person” role?
Clarity Beats Hype
In the rush to “do something with AI,” many job descriptions are vague, overloaded, or disconnected from business value. This erodes trust and turns off high-calibre candidates.
Instead of over-promising or inflating titles, organisations need to:
Be transparent about the actual maturity of their AI function
Define what success looks like (and how it will be measured)
Map the relationship between AI roles and business impact
Show how AI talent will interact with product, data, engineering, and leadership
In short: treat AI professionals like strategic hires, not unicorn technicians.
Build the Environment They Want to Stay In
Hiring AI talent is only the first step. Retaining them is harder and far more strategic.
To do this well, HR and people leaders should focus on:
Autonomy: Are AI professionals trusted to explore, prototype, and iterate?
Support: Are you investing in tools, data quality, and cross-functional partnerships?
Learning: Are there pathways to grow, experiment, and stay on the edge of new developments?
Values: Are ethical concerns and responsible AI practices part of the culture, not just a line in the job description?
According to a 2024 Stack Overflow survey, AI professionals cited “meaningful work,” “autonomy,” and “team quality” as more influential than base salary in their decision to stay or go.
How Caerus Strategy Can Help
At Caerus Strategy, we work with organisations navigating the complex intersection of people, technology, and transformation. When it comes to building AI capability, our approach helps clients:
Clarify their AI hiring strategy and role design
Define what “good” looks like for their stage and sector
Build internal mobility and upskilling programmes
Shape cultures where technical talent can thrive
We believe the fight for AI talent isn’t about chasing unicorns. It’s about creating the kind of organisation they’d actually want to join and stay in. You can’t control the size of the AI talent pool but you can control how your organisation shows up for it.