Build an AI Talent Plan Before You Start Hiring

“Hire an AI expert” is not a talent strategy. First decide which capabilities must live inside the company, which can be developed, and which can be obtained temporarily from partners. This decision connects to Build an AI Strategy That Starts With Business Value and Turn Company Priorities Into an AI Opportunity Portfolio, which provide the strategic direction and portfolio context. Use this four-part leadership framework Capability map — List strategy, domain, data, product, engineering, evaluation, security, change, and governance needs. Build-buy-borrow — Choose where institutional knowledge matters and where specialist help is temporary. Role redesign — Describe how existing jobs change, not only which new titles appear. Learning system — Combine foundational literacy, role practice, coaching, and evidence of competence. A practical decision example A mid-sized manufacturer hires one product-minded technical lead, trains process and quality experts, and uses a temporary security specialist. It avoids building a research team unrelated to its chosen portfolio. This is a hypothetical example; use your own baseline, constraints, and evidence. Evidence, governance, and responsible use Use the NIST AI Risk Management Framework to connect the initiative to governance, context, measurement, and ongoing management. The companion NIST AI RMF Playbook turns those functions into questions leaders can assign and review. The GAO AI Accountability Framework is useful for examining governance, data, performance, and monitoring across the system life cycle. Compare the plan with the OECD AI Principles, particularly transparency, robustness, accountability, and respect for people affected by the system. For generative AI, review the NIST Generative AI Profile and test representative cases using OpenAI’s evaluation guidance. Use the OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications to discuss application threats before a model can access sensitive information or take actions. Check performance statements against the FTC’s guidance on AI claims, and review information handling with the FTC’s privacy and security resources. For a broader organizational management approach, study the ISO/IEC 42001 overview. Take this to the next leadership meeting Map required capabilities to current people, gaps, development actions, external support, hiring sequence, and the business milestone that justifies each hire. Record the owner, evidence source, decision date, and what would cause the company to stop. The goal is not to make the document look complete. The goal is to make the next decision explicit, measurable, and accountable. Continue with Create a Network of AI Champions Across the Business. Use Run a Quarterly AI Portfolio Review: Keep, Fix, Scale, or Stop to revisit the decision with current evidence.