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Hiring Made Human: Hiring & Retaining AI-Enabled Talent

The podcast episode discusses hiring and retaining AI-enabled talent, featuring insights from Alex Swartzall on the impact of AI on the workforce. The conversation focuses on the necessary skills for modern hiring and the importance of adaptability. The episode provides practical advice for building a future-focused, AI-smart workforce.

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By Business Services · · Ai Ready WorkforceAi-enabled TalentBrett HowroydNicole Mcmurray
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Key takeaways

01

AI reshapes the workforce, focusing on skills like resilience.

02

Organizations should prioritize adaptability over technical know-how.

03

AI can enhance employee retention through personalized career paths.

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In this episode of

The AppleOne Podcast

— Hiring Made Human series — host

Brett Howroyd

is joined by co-host

Nicole McMurray

for a powerful conversation on one of today's most urgent topics: hiring and retaining AI-enabled talent.

Their guest, Alex Swartzall, Managing Director of Insights at Jobs for the Future, brings both big-picture perspective and actionable insight into how AI is reshaping the workforce—and what leaders can do about it.

From redefining job roles to empowering employees as AI collaborators, Alex walks listeners through the skills that matter most right now (think resilience, agility, and lifelong learning), and why hiring for adaptability may be even more important than technical know-how. She shares why your existing team could be your biggest AI asset—and how to unlock their potential through upskilling and trust.

Brett and Nicole also explore how AI can be a retention tool, helping organizations personalize career paths, increase engagement, and create a future of work that works for everyone.

AI can be a retention tool, helping organizations personalize career paths, increase engagement, and create a future of work that works for everyone.

Alex offers a look inside JFF's new AI Ready Workforce report, revealing how AI is affecting tasks—not entire jobs—and why leaders should prioritize the "human spark" in both hiring and decision-making.

Leaders should prioritize the "human spark" in both hiring and decision-making.

Wondering how to keep hiring human while embracing the power of AI? This episode delivers a thoughtful, inspiring look at where we're headed—and how to get there.

Whether you're an HR leader, executive, or someone navigating the changing job landscape, this episode is full of practical takeaways for building a future-focused, AI-smart workforce.

Connect with our guests:

Alex Swartzall – jff.org/ai

Nicole McMurray – nmcmurray@appleone.com | 📞 407-786-6411

For more information or to connect about this episode, please click here.

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About the author

BS
Business Services
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About the Experts

BS
Business Services

Host, Hiring Made Human

Brett Howroyd hosts the Hiring Made Human series. He leads discussions on modern workforce challenges, focusing on AI and talent acquisition. Brett collaborates with co-host Nicole McMurray to provide insights into hiring and retaining AI-enabled talent.

NM
Nicole McMurray

Co-Host

AppleOne

Nicole McMurray co-hosts the Hiring Made Human series, offering expertise in workforce management and AI-driven talent acquisition strategies. She engages with industry leaders to discuss the future of work.

AS
Alex Swartzall

Managing Director of Insights

Jobs for the Future

Alex Swartzall is the Managing Director of Insights at Jobs for the Future. He discusses how AI is reshaping the workforce, advocating for skills such as resilience and lifelong learning. Alex emphasizes the importance of adaptability over technical skills.

BH
Brett Howroyd

President, ActOne Group

ActOne Group · AppleOne

Brett Howroyd joined ActOne Group in 2007, working in Los Angeles and Canada before becoming its president. His work has included developing internship and career-readiness programs and the company’s Educational Career Partnerships Department. He studied history and business and earned an MBA at the University of Southern California. His AppleOne interviews follow the routes people take into work and the decisions employers face when they grow. Shawna Alvarado brings a career change from cosmetology into construction. GovInvest’s founders explain why hiring an actuary differs from hiring an account executive. A Buffalo conversation connects the redevelopment of industrial land to training residents for the jobs that could follow. The range makes room for both the applicant and the employer. Alongside career-entry stories, Brett’s conversations with Admiral Brian Luther and Jordan Morrow examine retraining, institutional knowledge and the practical use of AI.

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