2025 October- IX Open Access

Thank you to Toby Culshaw, Author, and founder of the Talent Intelligence Collective and VP Strategy, Talent Intelligence at Lightcast, for joining our recent IX Communities Open Access event! Toby led us in a fascinating discussion about the future of talent intelligence – where it’s going, and how its integration with the recruiting function is swiftly moving forward with the incorporation of AI. We started with an overview of global labor market shortages and visuals showing how talent supply will continue to shrink in the future. Many industries are banking on AI efficiencies to address this, but time will tell if that’s enough for some and it won’t apply to many others. When discussing the AI implications for TA, Toby talked about a recent talent intelligence contest that he held. He observed the winning contestants didn’t just use AI, they conducted it, weaving together different best-in-class AI options with human knowhow and expertise. The performance gap he saw between average AI users and super-users was dramatic. Toby expects a very small percentage of recruiters are now able to wildly outperform the rest. And he cautioned that they’re creating their own personal tech stacks – just like mechanics and chefs who keep their own tool sets. Recruiters have historically relied on employer provided and approved tools, but this may be changing, and employers need to be careful. There may be substantial risk if these recruiters leave and take their ‘tool belts’ with them.