Our MD Tom Davenporthad a great time at the UNLEASH conference in #Paris last week...
Follow for labour market, workforce & staffing sector insights | MD, Alvius | Technology partner to the UK's leading jobs, staffing & recruitment organisations
I've just returned to my desk after a great morning at the UNLEASH World conference 2023 in Paris. It was great to bump into Sam Norman Oliver Ackland-Snow and Laura Hunt from team Zinc, and the great Bradley Placks of To Augment (amongst others) and meet people from existing Alvius integration partners Broadbean Technology, Textkernel and Cornerstone OnDemand. Here are my initial observations: ➡ Differentiating actual and 'not-actual' AI The big theme of the conference was AI in our sector. Sure, the growth in adoption and use of AI has been big. But it's completely outstripped by one thing: 😑 Claims about the use of AI 😑 To my mind THAT was the big theme. Literally every stand I visited claimed they used AI. In lots of cases, it made sense. But in a load of others....it did't. And I wasn't buying it. A lot of companies at the moment feel pressure to say they are using AI in their platforms, for fear of being left out of the conversation. The real leaders are those who have the confidence and knowledge to say 'here's where AI adds value; and here it where it does not'. As Bradley Placks said to me when I mentioned this to him, the biggest challenge of the next few years is less working out HOW to use AI and more WHERE, AND WHERE NOT to use the technology. ➡ The Convergence on CRM / ATS What felt like 80% of the exhibitors were, when you boiled it down, essentially one of a CRM, an ATS or an HRS. This is a problem: If it's virtually impossible to play in this space without being a 'platform', there is little room for the small, specialist innovators. Where are the tools which plug into platforms and add something on top? Where are the small innovators offering a small but perfect service in their niche? Not present in Paris, that's for sure. Thinking about the Alvius tech platform and strategy with these in mind: A. It's great that we have deployed AI within our matching engine (specifically around the generation and identification of tags on both sides of the equation); but perhaps we should be clearer where we're not using AI (e.g. anywhere in approvals, compliance, booking generation). B. We must continue to focus on the inter-operability of the Alvius tech with the established platforms; Bullhorn, Cornerstone OnDemand, Matrix and more. Thats the space where we can deliver real value; a service 'in addition.'
