As founders gear up for an AI-driven future, Gusto’s co-founder and technology leader, Edward Kim, has voiced a different perspective on AI hiring strategies. Rather than cutting current staff to onboard specialized AI engineers, Kim believes this approach is misguided. He suggests that nontechnical staff often possess a better understanding of customer needs and challenges than the average engineer, which can help steer the development of AI tools.
Kim explained Gusto’s approach in an interview with TechCrunch, describing how nontechnical employees within the customer experience team write “recipes” that shape how Gusto’s AI assistant, Gus, responds to customers. Gus, introduced just last month, benefits from these insights to enhance its interaction capabilities.
Kim also pointed out that employees who aren’t software engineers but have a bit of technical knowledge are successfully creating impactful AI solutions. For instance, Gusto’s customer experience tool, CoPilot, which launched in June, handles between 2,000 and 3,000 daily interactions and is a testament to this approach.
According to Kim, many of Gusto’s team members are being upskilled to develop AI applications, highlighting the company’s commitment to fostering internal growth rather than relying solely on external AI specialists.
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