How to Hire AI Expertise in Australia (And Get it Right the First Time)

How to Hire AI Expertise in Australia (and Get it Right the First Time)

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AI’s impact will only continue to grow as new capabilities emerge and use cases expand. Over the next decade, AI will fundamentally transform how we work, shaping every aspect of business strategy, operating models, and organizational change.

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For fast-growth organizations, hiring the right AI expertise isn’t optional, it’s an imperative strategy play. But knowing who to hire, what to hire for, and finding the right talent can’t be approached like a typical leadership hire.

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To help founders, CEOs, and board members navigate this, Anneliese Urquhart, AI Practice Lead at Think & Grow, shares how to hire AI expertise that will deliver real business value now and in the future. 

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If you were hoping to hire AI expertise, how would you go about scoping a role?   

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“Get clear on what you need from an AI role, because it can fall into four categories: 

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- Strategy - shaping how AI can create conditions for your business strategy to win 

- Technical strategy - determining the architecture, tooling, and data governance required to scale

- Technical delivery - building, implementing, and maintaining AI solutions

- Change leadership -  driving adoption and embedding AI into how teams and the organization work

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It’s unlikely that you’ll find an individual who excels in all of these areas, so it’s important to prioritise what you need and being explicit about where other capabilities will sit.”

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What’s the AI talent pool like in Australia?

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“There’s a growing concern that true AI expertise is hard to find, but it’s a common misconception. 

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AI isn’t new. While agentic AI has emerged in the last fifteen months and generative AI has been mainstream for a few years, machine learning and AI have been evolving since the mid-1950s. These technologies have delivered measurable business outcomes for more than a decade across a wide range of industries in Australia (and globally).

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That history means there are people with deep, long-standing proficiency in this space, and organizations should be actively looking for them rather than assuming everyone is starting from scratch.” 

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How would you validate an AI expert within the interview process? 

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“Regardless of the role, one thing that must always be assessed: measurable impact.

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Ask candidates for real-world examples of solutions they’ve delivered and the technology set that they used, rather than what they say they can do. Ask questions like:

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• What did you deliver and what impact did it have? 
• What tools and technology did you use? And can you explain what factors you considered in the selection process?
• How did you measure its success?

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Impact is the true proof point. If someone can’t clearly explain what they did and the outcomes it drove, that’s a signal to either dig deeper or chalk it up as a red flag.

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Other key indicators to great candidates are curiosity, humility, and clear commitment to developing their skillset and knowledge. The rapid pace of change in the technology and tooling means ongoing evolution of their capabilities isn’t optional.”

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How would you assess their capability and skills? 

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“Testing is essential for an AI-leadership role. 

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The goal isn’t only to test how much technical knowledge they can demonstrate, but how they think, the processes they use, and how they work with others. A short, well-designed brief can be highly effective for this. 

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For example, a strong AI technologist should be able to take a non-technical challenge — such as improving customer experience or reducing operational friction — and:

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• Define the problem clearly
• Outline their approach to selecting solutions, tools, and technologies
• Explain how they would validate performance, manage bias, and ensure quality and governance

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This kind of assignment reveals how candidates define problems, work with stakeholders, make decisions, and manage AI solutions from inception through to ongoing maintenance. It also tests their ability to communicate with people who may not share their technical knowledge–a key skill for the world today. 

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Technical assessments should be conducted live or in a proctored setting to make sure tools aren’t being used to mimic proficiency.

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If your organization doesn’t have deep technical expertise in-house, consider working with a specialist recruiter or trusted expert in the space. In the AI tooling age, people can complete certifications without gaining true knowledge that would make them an expert.” 

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What’s your advice for founders, CEOs, leaders, and board members to avoid feeling overwhelmed by finding the right AI hire for their organization? 

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“Framing AI as a purely technical problem is where many organizations go down the wrong path; hiring one technical expert and expecting them to “solve AI”.

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That approach rarely works.

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AI capability needs strong business ownership, clear outcomes, and supported by change management. A technically sound solution that isn’t adopted delivers no value. The strongest AI leaders understand both the technology and the human side of transformation. They know the technology itself, as well as how to work alongside business stakeholders, navigate transformation pressures, and turn innovation into impact. That’s what real AI leadership looks like.

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Not every organization — or every AI hire — needs all of these capabilities. Different roles, seniority levels, and stages of maturity require different skill sets.

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Think & Grow partners with ambitious businesses to implement AI in a way that delivers real, provable value. If you want to move beyond experimentation and into impact, our team is ready to help. Get in touch with us.

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