AI systems are now competing with other AI systems inside the hiring process, and it's changing how recruiters find talent. In this episode of Freedom of Work, competing with other AI systems in shares what actually works with AI, why recruiters aren't going anywhere, and how to hire quality candidates at speed.

Gareth has spent over 10 years in talent acquisition at high-growth companies like Checkout.com, Stripe, and Nuvei, where he now leads recruitment across EMEA and APAC. In conversation with host Leah Cottham, he breaks down the real value of AI in recruitment, why data quality is the deciding factor for talent teams today, and where the hype falls apart.

Many organizations are rushing to adopt new AI tools but overlooking the most critical component: their input data. Gareth explains why poor data hygiene creates immediate bottlenecks in recruiting workflows and why underperforming AI is usually a database problem, not an algorithmic one. He also unpacks the real difference between hiring the best candidate and hiring the right one, how to pitch AI tools to a CFO without sounding like you're just asking for a new cost line, and what breaks when you try to scale hiring quality across regions.

If your talent team is trying to figure out where AI genuinely helps versus where the hype outpaces reality, this conversation gives you a grounded, experience-based answer.

Learn more or book a demo with the RemoFirst team at remofirst.com.