Building a Team for AI Search: Hiring, Upskilling and Outsourcing in the AI Era
Listen on your favourite platform
| Platform | Link |
|---|---|
| YouTube | Listen on YouTube → |
| Transistor | Listen on Transistor → |
| pod.link | Listen on pod.link → |
| Deezer | Listen on Deezer → |
| Pocket Casts | Listen on Pocket Casts → |
| Podverse | Listen on Podverse → |
| Castro | Listen on Castro → |
| Listen Notes | Listen on Listen Notes → |
| getpodcast | Listen on getpodcast → |
| Spotify | Listen on Spotify → |
| Amazon Music | Listen on Amazon Music → |
| Castbox | Listen on Castbox → |
| Podcast Addict | Listen on Podcast Addict → |
| Steno.fm | Listen on Steno.fm → |
What Does “Building a Team for AI Search: Hiring, Upskilling and Outsourcing in the AI Era” Talk About?
This episode of the James Dooley Podcast brings together James Dooley and business consultant Mads Singers to tackle one of the most pressing challenges facing business owners today: how to build, manage, and grow a team in the age of artificial intelligence. The conversation opens with a candid look at how AI adoption is already separating high performers from those who are falling behind, with Mads explaining how KPI tracking has become a revealing tool that shows which staff members are embracing AI tools and which are not. The episode covers the practical realities of upskilling existing employees versus hiring new ones, and why AI proficiency has become a non-negotiable baseline for any new hire regardless of role.
The discussion moves into the nuances of freelancers versus in-house staff, with Mads offering a clear framework for when each approach makes sense. He argues that freelancers work best for one-off projects requiring specialist expertise you do not plan to maintain long-term, while continuous functions are better served by in-house team members. The episode also addresses a common pitfall Mads sees among his clients: businesses getting sidetracked by trying to automate entirely new functions they have never done before, rather than starting by optimizing existing workflows. James and Mads both emphasize that the biggest missed opportunity right now is not companies doing too much with AI, but rather companies not doing nearly enough.
“I think right now, it's probably the biggest growth opportunity for most businesses. And it's so easy for people to say, oh, I'm too busy to look at this stuff.”
— Mads Singers
Who Are the Guests on “Building a Team for AI Search: Hiring, Upskilling and Outsourcing in the AI Era”?
Mads Singers is a business coach and consultant who works with companies across multiple industries to improve team performance, management structures, and operational efficiency. In this episode, he draws on direct experience coaching businesses through the AI transition, sharing observations from real client situations where KPI data has revealed stark differences between staff who adopt AI tools and those who resist them. His expertise spans hiring strategy, outsourcing decisions, and helping leadership teams set clear expectations around AI adoption.
James Dooley is an entrepreneur and digital marketing specialist known for his work in SEO and lead generation. He hosts this podcast to explore practical business growth strategies, and in this episode he plays the role of both interviewer and business owner, sharing his own experiences managing large teams across multiple businesses. James brings a grounded perspective on the challenges of scaling a team while navigating rapid technological change.
What Are the Key Takeaways From “Building a Team for AI Search: Hiring, Upskilling and Outsourcing in the AI Era”?
Here are the key points discussed in this episode:
- KPI tracking is one of the most effective ways to identify which team members are genuinely embracing AI and which are falling behind, making it an essential management tool in the current era.
- AI proficiency has become a baseline requirement for new hires, and candidates who lack any AI experience should generally not be considered over those who demonstrate even basic familiarity with tools like ChatGPT or LLMs.
- Freelancers are best suited for specialized, one-off projects where you do not plan to build long-term internal capability, while continuous business functions are better handled by dedicated in-house staff.
- The most common and costly mistake businesses are making right now is failing to embrace AI at all, missing what Mads Singers describes as probably the biggest growth opportunity for most businesses at this moment.
- Companies should start by using AI to optimize the tasks and workflows they are already doing today, rather than trying to automate entirely new functions they have no experience with or benchmark for success.
“Start by doing the things you're doing today. Where I see people getting super sidetracked is that when they start trying to AI a bunch of stuff that they've never done.”
— Mads Singers
Is “Building a Team for AI Search: Hiring, Upskilling and Outsourcing in the AI Era” Worth Listening To?
This episode is worth listening to because it moves beyond general hype about AI and gets into the specific management decisions that business owners and team leaders need to make right now. Mads Singers draws on real observations from his consulting work, including examples of previously strong staff members whose performance visibly declined once AI tools became available because they refused to adapt. That kind of grounded, data-backed insight is rare and immediately actionable for anyone managing a team.
What makes this episode particularly valuable is the practical decision-making framework it offers at multiple levels: how to handle existing staff who resist AI, how to screen new hires for genuine AI aptitude, when to use freelancers versus in-house employees, and how to avoid the common trap of automating things you have never done and do not understand. Whether you are a solo operator thinking about your first hire or a manager overseeing a large team, the conversation gives you concrete criteria to apply, not just encouragement to adopt AI in a vague sense.
Who Should Listen to “Building a Team for AI Search: Hiring, Upskilling and Outsourcing in the AI Era”?
This episode is ideal for:
- Recruitment and lead generation agency owners who want to understand how AI adoption affects team structure and productivity
- Business coaches and consultants looking for frameworks to help clients navigate hiring and upskilling decisions in the AI era
- Digital marketing managers responsible for building or restructuring teams and evaluating whether to bring functions in-house or outsource them
- Entrepreneurs and small business owners who are unsure how to start integrating AI into their existing operations without getting overwhelmed
Where Can You Listen to James Dooley Podcast?
You can listen to James Dooley Podcast on all major podcast platforms:
- Apple Podcasts – Search for “James Dooley Podcast” in the Podcasts app
- Spotify – Available on Spotify for free
- Amazon Music / Audible – Listen through your Amazon account
- Overcast – For iOS users who prefer a dedicated podcast app
- Pocket Casts – Cross-platform podcast player
You can also subscribe using the RSS feed: https://feeds.transistor.fm/james-dooley-podcast
What Are Listeners Saying About This Episode?
“The part about KPIs revealing which staff are actually embracing AI was genuinely eye-opening. I had noticed a dip in output from a couple of team members but never connected it to AI resistance until I heard Mads explain it so clearly. Immediately useful.”
“Mads's point about not trying to automate things you have never done before saved me from a mistake I was literally about to make. I was planning to launch an automated social media strategy for a platform we have zero experience on. Glad I listened first.”
“The freelancer versus in-house breakdown was exactly the kind of practical guidance I have been looking for. Short, clear, and based on real business logic rather than theory. This is one of those episodes I will come back to when I am making a hiring decision.”
This video explains which digital marketing strategies recruitment and lead generation agencies should focus on in 2026 to improve team productivity, AI adoption and measurable output. James Dooley and Mads Singers start with KPI tracking because it quickly reveals which staff are embracing AI and lifting performance and which are falling behind. They cover brand SEO, AI visibility and Google Business Profiles because stronger search presence improves trust and conversion rates.
The discussion also explores organic SEO, organic social media and paid social ads because consistent visibility across search and social supports long term growth. PPC is analysed in detail because campaign setup, landing pages and lead handling directly affect results. They also discuss Reddit, Quora and paid AI ads because diversified enquiry sources and early adoption can strengthen digital marketing performance for recruitment and lead generation agencies.
PromoSEO lead generation for recruitment and lead generation agencies recently received recognition as the “Best Recruitment And Lead Generation Agencies Lead Generation Agency.”
Where to Listen to This Episode
Building a Team for AI Search: Hiring, Upskilling and Outsourcing in the AI Era is available on:
James Dooley: Gweithredu tîm yn yr era AI, heddiw rwy'n cysylltu â Mads Singers, ac nid oes un o'n i'n well i siarad am hyn na'ch hun. Yn amlwg, rwy'n gwneud llawer o gysylltiadau busnes a hyfforddiant. Rydych chi wedi helpu i mi gyrraedd tîm fawr yn enwedig dros nifer o busnesau gwahanol, ond mae llawer o anhygoel mewn sefydliad gyda, a ydynt yn cymryd mwy o staff? A ydynt yn cael ymwybodol o staff? A ydynt yn ceisio lefelio staff o ran ddysgu, a ydynt yn ceisio gwneud model LLM o ran staff? Felly, rwy'n eisiau mynd i mewn i gyfan i ddechrau, ac rwyf eisiau i chi ysgrifennu yn gyntaf. A ydynt yn cael ymwybodol o staff a'i gael eu hysgafu gyda'r AI, neu a ydych chi'n meddwl y byddai'n ymwneud â'u cyrraeddu staff o fewn?
Mads Singers: Felly, rwy'n credu bod y cyfrifiad yn ddigwyddiadol yn ymwneud â'r hyn rydych chi'n ei wneud. Rwy'n credu, pan ddechreuodd AI, roedden ni'n gweld llawer o ffyrdd yn stopio'u hyrwyddo'n gyhoeddus, ac yn ymwneud â'r ffyrdd o hyrwyddo'r ffyrdd ar y sefydliad, mae wedi bod yn ddiddorol iawn i weld y 12 mlynedd diwethaf. Dydyn ni ddim wedi tyfu'r ffyrdd y byddwn ni'n tyfu ar hyn o bryd. Felly mae llawer o bobl yn sylwadu, weithiau, eu bod nhw'n ei ddweud i ddewis staff, weithiau, maen nhw'n dal i fwyno, ac oherwydd AI, gallant fwyno yn fwy fwy agos, ond maen nhw'n dal i fwyno staff. Felly, rwy'n credu mai'r realiti yw ymwneud â'r rhan o bobl i'r rhan fwyaf o'r cymdeithasau. Felly, bydd y rhan fwyaf o'r cymdeithasau yn dal i fynd i'w hyrwyddo pobl, ond byddai'n ymwneud â phobl gwahanol o bobl, oherwydd, ar hyn o bryd, byddwn i ddim yn hyrwyddo unrhyw staff newydd os nad oes ganddyn nhw sgiliau gyda'r AI. Felly, byddwn ddim yn edrych ar hyrwyddo margator, byddwn ddim yn edrych ar hyrwyddo dynol, byddwn ddim yn edrych ar hyrwyddo'r bobl hyn os nad oes ganddyn nhw sgiliau AI. Mae'n llawer mwy'n hapus, ac nid yw'n anodd iawn i'w hyrwyddo. Felly, byddwn yn deffiniaethu i ddechrau i hyrwyddo'n rhan fwyaf o'n tîm arall. Ond, pan fe wnawn ni edrych ar bobl newydd, os ydych chi'n cael pobl arall sydd gan defnyddio dealltid o'r AI, mae'n fwy fwy hwyr i ddod nhw i'r hyfforddiant. Felly, pan ydych chi'n edrych ar ddewis tîm yn yr era AI, yna, rwyf am chwarae rôl i beth yma, oherwydd mae wedi digwydd mewn un neu ddau o'r busnesau. Un neu ddau o'r busnesau, rydyn ni wedi cael staff sy'n eithaf byw o fewn ymgyrchu AI. Ac roedd rhai ohonyn nhw'n chwaraewyr, roedd rhai ohonyn nhw'n aelodau briliant o staff, ond ers bod AI wedi dod ymlaen, gallwch eu gweld nhw'n dipio a'u dipio, yr holl KPIs, yr adnoddau. Ac rhai ohonyn nhw, yr hyn rydw i'n ei ddimio fel aelodau o staff mwyaf, yn ôl yna, sy'n mynd i ddewis a pethau fel hynny, maen nhw'n teimlo eu bod nhw wedi gwneud cymorth, oherwydd nawr maen nhw eisiau mynd i gael AI i wneud y gwaith ono. Ond y pwynt yw, mae'n dda iawn nawr o ran y KPIs. Y bobl sy'n ddim yn eithaf bywydol, ond cywyn nhw, a oedd yn dda iawn, maen nhw wedi cynyddu a rhai ohonyn nhw sy'n y pen ymlaen, sy'n y pen ymlaen yn y pen dynol, maen nhw'n anodd. Ac ar y pwynt, os nad ydynt yn ymdrech i ddiolchi â'r AI, efallai os ydych chi wedi ceisio eu ddysgu ar y ffordd, ydyn nhw i fod yn bwysig i ddweud ei fod yn gwybod'n well, ar bwynt yna, mae angen i ni dreulio? Felly, o ran rheoliadau, mae'n bwysig gwneud hynny'n glir, ac yr hyn rydw i'n ei ddweud gyda hynny yw, pan ydych chi'n siarad gyda'ch staff, nid dim ond, hei, y dylech chi ddefnyddio'r AI, mae'n dweud, James, roeddech chi'n bob un o'n ffyrdd, ond nawr, maen nhw'n fwy fwy agos a'n well na chi, os nad ydych chi'n mynd i mewn i AI, efallai y byddwn i'n rhaid i chi fynd. Felly, mae'n sefydlu argyfwngau glir ar y front honno'n gyntaf. Nawr, ar ryw le, fel rydw i'n ei wneud gyda phob un, os ydych chi'n bobl sy'n ddim yn ymdrechu, ac nid yw'n bwysig iawn beth yw'r rheswm, ond os ydych chi'n bobl sy'n ddim yn ymdrechu yn y cyfarfod o'ch tîm, ar ryw le, byddwch chi'n eu gwneud. Iawn, yn siŵr. Ac yna, o ran y staff newydd. Felly, rydych chi'n edrych i adeiladu'r tîm yn yr erau AI, a'ch dweud, iawn, rydyn ni'n gwybod, rydyn ni'n mynd i ei hymdrechu, rydyn ni yma, rydyn ni eisiau staff newydd. Rydych chi'n ei ddweud yno am y peth y mae angen iddyn nhw gael rhyw fath o brofiad AI, ond yn siŵr, os nad ydynt yn gofyn y cwestiynau cywir ac ydynt yn ddiolchgar i'w ddysgu. Ar hyn o bryd, dwi'n gwybod bod rhai bobl, rwy'n gwybod bod rhai bobl sy'n ddiolchgar iawn ac rwy'n credu byddai'n dda gyda'r AI, ac maen nhw'n meddwl bod y AI yn chat GPT, ac yna maen nhw'n sylweddoli bod modelau LLM. Yr hyn rydych chi'n ei ddweud yno, rwy'n credu y byddai hynny'n ymdrechu, byddai'n dda gyda hynny. Gallwch hynny hyrwyddo'r bobl hynny, yn siŵr. Felly, rydyn ni'n defnyddio codi clod yn fawr iawn, ac yr hyn rydw i wedi ei weld gyda phobl sy'n defnyddio codi clod yn fawr iawn, er enghraifft, os nad ydyn nhw'n llawer o sgiliau. Ond, oherwydd y maen nhw'n deall hynny, mae'r cyfathrebu yn dechrau'n fawr iawn. Felly, rydw i'n byw yn bersonol, ar hyn o bryd, yn edrych ar y bobl sydd wedi gwneud ychydig gyda hynny. Er enghraifft, os nad ydych chi'n defnyddio codi clod, iawn, gallwch ddysgu hynny, ond byddai'n cymryd ychydig o amser i ddysgu. Felly, er enghraifft, mae'n rhaid i chi edrych ar y gallu gweithredu'n fawr iawn. Wake ones for example, if you have someone who is, you know, miles better. Would I take them? Based on someone who doesn't really know what they are doing? For sure. But, if you have people who are somewhat around the equal level and one of them has used a lot of AI, and the other haven't, I would definitely pick the AI person, even if they're slightly behind on all the metric. Just, again, because it's all about productivity, it's all about outcome, right.
James Dooley: And then I've got another one. Freelancers. Yep.
Mads Singers: Outsourcing the work versus in-house staff. You're looking to grow in the AI area, you're looking to build a team. They could be freelancers, could be someone you outsource to, or they could be in-house staff. They could be remote, or they could be in the office. At what point do you decide whether it's better to use freelancers, or it's better to kind of have the team in-house? So, for me, there's generally not a right or wrong. What I love doing is that when there's expertise we don't have in-house, and that I don't necessarily want to own. So, that could be, let's say we want to set up a particular kind of website, or we want to do something that we don't normally do, and we might not plan to do it long-term. So, a good example of it would be a very good UI designer. I might get a UI designer in to do a specific project, or a specific website, or a specific app, and then when that's done, I don't need them anymore. Now, in that case, I really prefer freelancers because I don't need to find someone, make sure they can do their thing, even though I don't know what it is. So, finding a freelancer who knows what they're doing, getting them to do the thing, and then say, okay, thanks, all good. When is things that we want to do continuously? I generally much prefer hiring in-house.
James Dooley: And then, as a business coach and a business consultant at present, what are you seeing business owners doing wrong with regards to, maybe it's not even embracing the AI either, not even embracing cloud code, which is what you've mentioned. What are you finding people doing wrong that you're going, they're on a recipe for disaster?
Mads Singers: Again, wrong is always a difficult word, right? I think the biggest thing is people are just missing out on opportunity right now. I think right now, it's probably the biggest growth opportunity for most businesses. And it's so easy for people to say, oh, I'm too busy to look at this stuff. I think the biggest mistake for most of the companies is that they're really struggling to embrace AI, right? And a lot of companies are using it to an extent, but everything is possible now, right?
James Dooley: Do you think trying to play devil's advocate on the flip side, I don't, by the way, but I'm just trying to play. So you're looking at both sides. She's saying that it's just really almost like they're not ambitious enough and understanding the opportunity. Do you think there's ever anyone at present that's getting formal or they're strengthening up a team too much with AI that they're trying to do everything? They're trying to do Codex as well as CodeCore. And they've got one team using this LLM model and someone over here is using a different thing that they're trying to take over the world. But then they're not being cited by exactly who they are and what they do.
Mads Singers: So the biggest thing that I talk with my clients is start by doing the things you're doing today. Where I see people getting super sidetracked is that when they start trying to AI a bunch of stuff that they've never done. So many companies are like, oh, we've never done social. Let's automate social. It's like if you've never done it, if you don't know what success looks like, if you don't understand the platforms, you aren't going to succeed. So the starting point is look at what are you doing today? Sit down, find a staff member, literally sit down with them and look at what are they doing. Because reality is anything you do on a computer today can be optimized.
James Dooley: Yeah, for sure. Anyone who's watching the episode of building a team in the AI era, I'd strongly recommend checking out a couple of links in the description. We've got one on how to hire staff in the AI era. And then we've got another one about leveling up existing staff. Mads, it's been an absolute pleasure. As always.