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Talent procurement hampers tech start-ups in implementing AI
For complaint handling app Qlue, finding the right talents that understand AI/ML is quite hard
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Representatives of Gojek and start-up accelerator Digitaraya pose for a picture during the launch of Gojek Xcelerate on Sept. 10, 2019 (Tribunnews/Hari Darmawan)
F
inding the right talents remains a major challenge for the country’s rapidly growing technology start-ups as the number of existing skilled employees is insufficient to enable them to implement the latest digital technology.
On Sept. 23, The Jakarta Post had a chance to talk to representatives of start-ups participating in the Gojek Xcelerate start-up acceleration program and got some insight into their journey in implementing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for their businesses.
For complaint handling app Qlue, finding the right talents that understand AI/ML is quite hard. “Most [qualified talents] have been hired by unicorns,” said Pradita Utama, Qlue’s VP of technology and innovation on Monday.
Pradita said he had to talent scout his team from communities and peers. He said he could not rely on platforms like LinkedIn as most prospective candidates did not have a presence on such platforms.
“We also partner with headhunting firms for talent procurement [in the engineering department],” he said.
Mobile concierge app Izy.ai also faces a similar challenge. “That’s right. Talents like data engineer or data scientist are hard to find,” said Izy.ai co-founder Gerry Mangentang on Monday. He said his company was currently utilizing existing talents by scaling up their skills. “We plan to hire new talents, but we have yet to find suitable ones [for us].”
For start-ups like Qlue and Izy.ai, the use of AI/ML is significant in accelerating their business, by which it could help in their operations or improve services for clients and users.
