Elvira Pollina and Martin Coulter
MILAN/LONDON (Reuters) – Shortly after Italian watchdog Garante took over ChatGPT and temporarily shut it down locally last year, it sought to strengthen its team by hiring four artificial intelligence (AI) experts.
But Italy’s data protection agency has failed to hire the people it wanted, with a dozen candidates dropping out over issues including pay, highlighting a growing problem facing regulators around the world.
“The search process was worse than we expected,” Garante board member Guida Scorza told Reuters, adding: “We will come up with something else, but for now we have lost.”
Demand for AI expertise and knowledge has skyrocketed since OpenAI introduced ChatGPT in late 2022, and regulators have found themselves having to compete for talent from the same shallow pool.
But relatively low wages, a lengthy hiring process and visa problems are hampering their hiring ambitions, industry participants familiar with the situation told Reuters.
Other government bodies in the European Union could soon face similar challenges as the bloc introduces some of the most sweeping and effective AI regulations in the world.
The EU is recruiting staff for its newly launched AI Office, which will oversee compliance with the AI Act, as well as the European Center for Algorithmic Transparency (ECAT), which deals with both the AI Act and the Digital Services Act.
“The biggest challenge will be enforcement and getting people to do it,” said EU lawmaker Dragos Tudorace, who oversaw the drafting of the Artificial Intelligence Law.
Meanwhile, the UK continues to recruit staff for its own Institute for Artificial Intelligence Security, created following a summit of world leaders it hosted in October.
Many of the public sector jobs advertised by these organizations offer salaries that are part of industry standards and appear to be aimed at recent graduates, which some warn could scare away top talent.
Surge of talent
Governments around the world have recognized the need for AI expertise to keep up with rapidly evolving technologies.
The United States has demonstrated a willingness to pay more and be more flexible in its recruitment process.
Under President Joe Biden, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has given government agencies the ability to quickly hire artificial intelligence specialists as part of the government’s ongoing “talent surge,” speeding up the normal hiring process.
In February, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched a first-of-its-kind initiative to create a new “AI Corps” that aims to recruit 50 AI experts.
Job Advertisement DHS offers IT professionals specializing in artificial intelligence a salary of $143,000 per year, the same as in the private sector.
In contrast, EU agencies including the AI Office and ECAT have offered between €50,000 and €60,000 ($65,166).
An EU official told Reuters that ECAT currently employs 35 experts and plans to recruit 100 more for the Artificial Intelligence Directorate.
“Working with the office represents a unique and exciting opportunity for passionate professionals to make a significant contribution to shaping trustworthy artificial intelligence in Europe and beyond,” they said.
In the UK, the Institute for Artificial Intelligence Security has proposed stronger incentives for its most senior positions. Newly announced positions including chief information security officer and head of technology offered up to £135,000 ($170,829).
However, other roles offered much less. One AI social impact watchdog offered up to £47,000.
Another UK government role, at the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), offered up to £76,000 for the head of AI regulation strategy and implementation.
Ian Hogarth, chairman of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence Security, told Reuters that the organization has successfully attracted experts from companies such as Google (NASDAQ:), DeepMind and OpenAI.
“While we compare our salaries to those offered in industry, the technical experts who join us with the best in their fields strive for more than just a high salary,” he said. “They are joining to contribute to the important mission of keeping these models safe.”
Last month, a report from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, which advises governments on policy, called on the UK government to relax normal hiring rules, ease wage caps and introduce new work visas for tech talent.
“Enabling governments to not only ask the right questions, but also find solutions, requires a fundamental shift in thinking, skills and culture,” said Benedict Macon-Cooney, the institute’s chief policy strategist.
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