Preparing Aussie talent acquisition teams for AI through gamification

To future-proof recruiters in a dynamic labour market, LinkedIn recently hosted AI Skills Sprint, an AI upskilling activation for hundreds of talent acquisition professionals.

With AI’s growing influence in the recruitment space, after launching its Hiring Assistant in November last year, LinkedIn ran its AI Skills Sprint from 3 to 5 March 2026, teaching talent acquisition teams team development, prompt engineering, business AI, ethics and compliance, as well as strategic communication while using its hiring assistant to participate in interactive activities spread throughout its Sydney office.

LinkedIn’s senior director of talent and learning solutions for ANZ, Adam Gregory, said the event’s main goal was to upskill the talent acquisition community

"AI upskilling is something we've been passionate about for a long time. The AI Skills Sprint is just one part of our commitment to helping Australia's talent community build the skills they need for the future of work," Gregory said.

Gregory said the initial blueprint for the activation was born out of ideas and feedback from its workforce transformation series in the second half of the previous calendar year, during which it hosted various sessions delving into the impact of AI.

“There's a broad spectrum of where people are on their AI journey, and it's certainly not one-size-fits-all. Some attendees have a strong understanding of trust and safety, while others are more advanced at prompting. We wanted to bring people together to upskill as a community,” he said.

Attendees of the AI Skills Sprint received a two-week trial of LinkedIn’s Hiring Assistant to bring the skills and tools they learnt at the activation back to their workplaces.

“For many attendees, this is just the beginning. We're giving them access to Hiring Assistant for another two weeks after the event so they can continue practising the skills they've learned and bring them back to their organisations,” Gregory said.

Gregory said the urgency behind the initiative reflects broader shifts happening across the recruitment industry. According to LinkedIn's Talent Velocity Report, 86 per cent of companies globally lack the ability to see their skills, build what's needed, and mobilise talent in real time. Since 2016, 38 per cent of job skills have changed globally, and that number could reach 70 per cent by 2030 as AI reshapes work.

"A performance gap is emerging between employees who embrace AI to reimagine work and those who use it for basic tasks or not at all."

"43 per cent of professionals worry they don't have the skills they'll need for the future. Opportunity isn't disappearing, it's concentrating around specific skills, and we want to make sure Australian recruiters are on the right side of that gap."

Early data shows the impact AI tools are already having on recruitment outcomes. “Recruiters using Hiring Assistant surface the most relevant talent first, reviewing 81 per cent fewer profiles to find a qualified match and saving significant time identifying shortlist-ready talent. We’re seeing them achieve a 66 per cent higher InMail acceptance rate compared to traditional sourcing methods, and the tool also helps cut the time recruiters spend evaluating applicants by 65 per cent," Gregory said.

The talent acquisition team for not-for-profit Good Things Australia was one of the organisations that attended the AI Skills Sprint. The not-for-profit’s chief executive, Jess Wilson, said: “AI is rapidly changing how we use tech, work, learn, and play, and this can feel overwhelming for many people.”

“We know that one in five people are digitally excluded in Australia, and nearly one in three are unsure how to tell AI-created content from real content. Supporting people in communities to learn about and use AI will help them to feel safer and more confident online,” Wilson said.

Recently, Good Things Australia announced the launch of 10 AI hubs across lower socioeconomic areas around Australia.

“We want people to have the skills they need to participate in the future of work, and have already seen incredible stories of people learning about AI and then using their new skills to successfully apply for jobs,” Wilson added.

“That’s why we’re proud to be working with LinkedIn on our AI for Good program, ensuring people most at risk of being left behind have the support they need to keep up with rapid tech changes," she concluded.