How GenAI Is Reshaping Teams, Skills, and Speed in 2025
GenAI: From Demo to Deployment
Most GenAI pilots never make it past the proof-of-concept stage. Why? Because the leap from demo to production demands cleaner data, stronger engineering, and a clear product mindset.
In this episode of The Data & AI Podcast, Harnham’s Jayme Oshaben speaks with Ashish B. , founder of StarSpark.AI and former Google leader, about what it takes to scale responsibly.
You’ll hear:
- Why so many proofs of concept stop at 80% and what’s needed to cross the finish line
- How robotics and education are becoming the next wave of GenAI adoption
- The skills that will define the next generation of data professionals
Why Contractors Are Accelerating AI Delivery in the US
In the US, more firms are relying on contractors to turn AI plans into outcomes. Instead of building large in-house teams, businesses are embedding specialists like LLM engineers, AI product owners, and governance experts to deliver impact quickly.
It’s a faster, lower-risk way to access niche skills, keep projects on track, and prove ROI under investor scrutiny.
How AI Is Rewiring Analytics Workflows
Dashboards alone don’t give leaders the speed or clarity they need anymore. With AI embedded across analytics, employers now look for professionals who can forecast, prescribe, and act in real time.
That shift is driving demand for:
- Experience with real-time tools like Snowflake, Kafka, and Spark Streaming
- Predictive and prescriptive modelling skills that move beyond reporting
- The ability to influence stakeholders and translate outputs into business action
For hiring leaders, it’s about building teams who can deliver live, actionable insights. For candidates, it’s proving you can combine technical depth with clear communication.
Why Harnham?
Since 2006, we’ve placed 15,000 professionals in Data & AI. Over just the last two years, 120 companies have partnered with us to make pivotal AI hires across sectors including private equity, gaming, and GenAI startups. Inside the guide you'll find case studies and more about the roles they hired, and why.
Our perspective goes beyond recruitment—we help organisations define what good looks like in AI teams, from org structure to retention.
Whether you need full-time staff, contract talent, specialised training, Data-qualified graduates, or C-suite executives, Harnham Group is equipped to fulfil all your data and AI talent requirements.
To find out more, get in touch: https://www.harnham.com/contact-page/
I’m always learning and building new projects in my free time. If I’m not posting, I’m simply deep in another experiment or improving something quietly. Feel free to contact me if you have an idea worth exploring.
1wCan you please send me some feedback? Not this automated email: "Thank you for your interest in the NLP Data Engineer - Focus on Text and Web Scraping position at Harnham in the Amsterdam Area. Unfortunately, we will not be moving forward with your application, but we appreciate your time and interest in Harnham." I am currently working on improving my applications, and for me, professional feedback would be much more valuable and meaningful. Please, respect the time and effort that people put into preparing their applications. Even a short, honest comment can help us understand what to improve and how to align better with the role. Thank you for your time and understanding.
Project Manager | Digital & ERP Transformation | PMO Leadership | Finance, Fit-Out, International Development
2wFascinating listen, it’s true that moving from AI ambition to real delivery depends on strong project leadership and data foundations. Brilliant recommendations from Ashish.