May 6, 2024
As an iGaming recruitment specialist, I have a front row seat witnessing the constant innovation driving this exciting sector. One of the hottest topics these days? Artificial Intelligence (AI) of course. For the product teams and leaders I connect with, it's clear that AI can be transformational.
But with so much potential comes lots of questions and considerations. Not least, how to integrate AI capabilities into the way your product team works, and what tasks can be performed by AI and what should be the domain of your talented team.
The AI Advantage for iGaming Products
Look, I'm no tech expert, but from my conversations with iGaming Products leaders, I can see how AI offers a whole new set of tools to level up your offerings.
Imagine games that personalise themselves to each player, recommending content and features that keep them coming back for more. Data-driven decision making? AI can analyse mountains of player data, revealing trends and insights to inform smarter product development. And let's not forget about the player experience. AI can be used to create dynamic content, streamline gameplay, and even offer personalised customer support.
These are just a taste of the possibilities from my high-level research, thank you Google, no doubt our readers can think of many more. However, before diving headlong into AI, product teams need to consider some crucial questions:
Key AI Questions for Product Teams
What specific challenges can AI address for our products?
I talk to product teams all the time, and AI is increasingly being presented as a magic bullet to address common product development challenges. But while it's a powerful tool, it's not a one-size-fits-all solution. Deploying AI can be complex and requires significant investment, both in terms of resources and financially. That's why defining the specific problems you're trying to solve is crucial. Once you pinpoint the exact challenge, you can assess if AI is the most effective and efficient solution to achieve your desired outcome. Remember, even the most cutting-edge AI might not be the best answer for every situation.
How can AI be leveraged to help the Product team?
One of the key benefits of AI is that it can free up your team to focus on what they do best. Many people worry that it will lead to job cuts, but certainly in the iGaming and product development arena, I think it’s more of a tool to help augment the capabilities of your existing team.
How can we use AI ethically and responsibly?
We all know algorithms can have biases. Just as individuals may have unconscious biases, AI is only as good as the data it’s trained on. So another important factor to consider before deploying solutions that impact your products, is how to ensure AI is used fairly and responsibly. Furthermore, in the iGaming sector responsible gaming is paramount. Responsible product design and ethical implementation are key, perhaps AI can be used to support these objectives?
Do we have the AI expertise we need?
Building or acquiring the necessary skills is crucial. Are there AI specialists on your product team? If not, is it time to start recruiting some specialist talent? These skills are in high demand so to attract top-tier talent you need to plan ahead and optimise your hiring strategy accordingly.
The integration of AI into iGaming product development presents a massive opportunity. But success requires careful planning and a thoughtful approach. Product teams should seek guidance from experts in both AI and the iGaming industry. This ensures successful implementation that delivers the expected ROI from your investment.
While I can’t personally provide expert AI advice, my network of product specialists includes individuals with AI skills and experience can! However, as it’s a relatively new technology, there’s a very limited talent pool of candidates with AI and iGaming experience. Therefore you may need to look outside of iGaming to find talent with the necessary skills, such as from related sectors like PayTech or eCommerce.
Moreover, with a small talent pool, you may be disappointed by the quantity and quality of candidates applying directly for your role. Instead of hoping talent will find you, a more proactive approach is needed to identify and engage passive candidates. That’s where my network may come in handy!
You may also need to streamline your hiring process and reduce the time to hire significantly. That’s because in a candidate’s market top talent gets snapped up fast. AI expertise is in high demand so, when you find someone with the skills you need, make sure you don’t miss out because of bottlenecks in your hiring process.
If you’d like to discuss your AI talent strategy or product development roles, please don’t hesitate to contact me: darren.kirby@pentasia.com