Friday, July 18, 2025
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Hi, it’s Chad. Every Friday, I dig through the AI noise to find what actually matters for your business and (hopefully) expand your thinking. Here’s what caught my attention this week and what I’m pondering:
1. Algorithmic Musings. The Great AI Skills Shuffle: Did Your Hiring Playbook Just Become Obsolete?
As a member of the Fortune AIQ Advisory Board, I received an advance copy of their latest research last week that made me do a double-take. (Don’t worry, it’s not as prestigious as it sounds). The findings? Your carefully crafted hiring playbook – the one that’s served you well for years – just became about as useful as a printed atlas at a Waymo convention.
Here’s one key finding: 80% of C-suite executives now consider AI skills essential when evaluating job candidates. Not helpful, not nice-to-have – essential.
Having worked with dozens of organizations struggling with this exact challenge, I can tell you the disconnect between what companies say they want and what they actually screen for is stunning.
If you’re still asking candidates about their college GPA or where they see themselves in five years, you’re essentially interviewing for yesterday’s jobs while your competitors snap up tomorrow’s talent.
So Which Skills Actually Matter?
The Fortune research reveals something fascinating about what C-level executives actually probe for during interviews. Forget the technical AI jargon – that’s not where the smart money is betting.
Here’s what 78% of C-suite leaders prioritize: problem-solving skills. Not coding ability. Not the latest AI certification. Good old-fashioned problem-solving. (By the way, this theme was in play well before the rise of AI).
Right behind that, 72% focus on candidates’ understanding of AI applications specific to their industry. They want people who can connect the dots between artificial intelligence and real business outcomes, not recite definitions of machine learning algorithms.
Meanwhile, only 38% of C-suite executives bother asking about technical proficiency. Think about that for a moment. The thing most HR departments obsess over ranks dead last among the executives making the final hiring decisions.
Your New Interview Framework: The Three-Question Test
Want to separate the AI-savvy candidates from the AI-buzzword droppers? Here’s a simple framework that cuts through the noise:
Question 1: The Industry Application Challenge “Walk me through how you’d use AI to solve [specific industry problem]. What would success look like, and what could go wrong?”
This reveals whether they understand AI as a business tool rather than just a technical curiosity.
Question 2: The Problem-Solving Probe “Describe a complex problem you’ve solved recently. How did you approach it, and what role could AI have played in your solution?”
You’re looking for structured thinking and the ability to identify where AI adds value versus where human judgment remains critical.
Question 3: The Reality Check “What’s one AI application you think is overhyped, and why?”
This separates the thoughtful analysts from the AI evangelists who believe artificial intelligence is pixie dust that solves everything.
The Shift That’s Already Happening
Here’s what’s really happening in executive suites: leaders are recognizing that AI fluency isn’t about understanding algorithms or the bogus concept of prompt engineering. Instead, it’s about understanding applications and how to pilot use cases that drive value. They want people who can ask better questions, not just process data faster.
This represents a fundamental shift in how we think about valuable skills. Traditional qualifications like years of experience or specific degrees are becoming less predictive of future success than AI adaptability and problem-solving agility.
This isn’t a trend that’s coming someday. It’s happening right now. The research shows that companies aren’t just talking about prioritizing AI skills – they’re actively screening for them in current hiring processes.
What This Means for Your Organization
If you’re a C-level executive reading this, you have two choices: evolve your hiring criteria or watch your talent pipeline dry up while competitors build AI-ready teams.
The companies that get this right will hire people who can think with AI rather than just think about AI. There’s a massive difference between the two, and your competitors are already learning to spot it.
Your HR team probably needs new interviewing guidelines. Your hiring managers need different questions. And your entire organization needs to shift from viewing AI skills as a technical add-on to recognizing them as fundamental business literacy.
The Bottom Line
The Fortune research confirms what many of us suspected: we’re witnessing the fastest skills evolution in modern business history. The question isn’t whether AI skills matter in hiring. It’s whether you’re evaluating the correct AI skills.
Ready to overhaul your hiring approach and build an AI-ready team? Send up the Bat Signal. I’d love to help you craft interview questions that actually identify the AI-ready talent you need.
2. Sound Waves: Podcast Highlights
This week’s podcast guest Andrew Amann (CEO of NineTwoThree AI Studio) shared a story that’ll make your operations team weep: his client was burning 50 hours per research analysis. His team compressed that to 4 minutes with AI while maintaining 90% accuracy. The key? That human validation step everyone wants to skip. Worth a listen if you’re wondering how to actually implement AI without destroying quality control. Subscribe for free today on your listening platform of choice to ensure you never miss a beat.
New episodes release every two weeks.
3. Research Roundup: What the Data Tells Us
Smart Logistics Planning: The AI That Actually Speaks Your Language
New research just provided insight into the question “Can AI actually help our logistics team make better decisions faster?” The answer is yes, but only if it knows when to ask questions first.
The numbers that matter: AI planning systems now deliver 50% faster decision-making while using 20 times fewer computing resources than traditional approaches. Most importantly, these systems learned from just 100 examples—meaning implementation costs that middle-market companies can actually afford.
What this means for your Monday morning: This addresses the common problem where logistics knowledge sits with one person. This AI speaks plain English, so when you say ‘reroute Tuesday’s deliveries around Highway 10 construction, prioritizing our biggest customers,’ it understands priorities and constraints without requiring technical translation.
The catch: The magic happens because this AI admits when it’s confused and asks clarifying questions, just like a good employee would. It’s not about replacing human judgment – it’s about making logistics expertise accessible to your entire team instead of depending on one specialist.
Action item: Pick one weekly logistics decision that currently requires your specialist’s expertise – like handling delivery delays or reallocating inventory. Test whether conversational AI can make this knowledge accessible to your broader team. That’s your pilot project.
Read our full analysis of this and all other analyzed research papers at AI for the C Suite.
4. Radar Hits: What’s Worth Your Attention
Autonomous robot surgeon removes organs with 100% success rate. Johns Hopkins researchers successfully trained a robot to handle gallbladder removals autonomously, adapting to unexpected situations in real-time. Why this matters: Healthcare AI is moving from assistance to full autonomy, potentially reshaping medical costs and service delivery. If you’re in healthcare or medical devices, autonomous systems could reshape your competitive landscape within the decade.
Hugging Face just launched a $299 robot that could disrupt the entire robotics industry. The AI platform company is selling an open-source desktop robot for $299 – a fraction of traditional industrial robotics costs. This makes robotics development as accessible as app development, potentially turning every industry into an automation target. Your IT team should track this trend.
5. Elevate Your Leadership with AI for the C Suite
Ready to build an AI-ready hiring process that actually identifies the talent you need? Let’s talk about crafting interview questions that separate the AI-fluent from the AI-buzzword droppers. (Shameless plug: This is exactly the kind of strategic implementation work I do with clients.)
As we navigate this unprecedented fusion of human and machine intelligence, remember: the best leaders aren’t just adapting to change – they’re actively shaping it. Until next week, keep pushing boundaries.
Chad