People Science Podcast

Hosted by Christine Nichlos

Business News

Website RSS feed

Episodes

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Hosting a robust network of HR Leaders who address topics important to our profession can be invaluable. Our podcasts address hot topics and encourage all voices to be heard.

Listen to episodes

33 recent

September 3, 2026Episode 820 min

Should AI Be Taxed? | Talent Architects Episode 8

Bill Gates raised two big questions last week: should certain jobs stay permanently human, regardless of what AI can do? And should companies pay a tax on automation the way they pay employment taxes on people? Christine Nichlos, Jessica Oberto, and Lindsey Roundtree dig into both, and get into the real, unglamorous cost problem nobody's talking about yet: AI tokens. In this episode, Christine, Jessica, and Lindsey cover: Why Bill Gates argues some work should be "human-reserved," kept human by choice, not by capability Whether taxing AI automation would slow adoption for mid-market companies, who are actually moving fastest on AI right now Why token and credit limits are already causing real friction internally, and why that cost model may not be sustainable long-term Why short contracts, not long-term commitments, are the safest way to pilot new AI tools right now How the work architect framework helps decide which roles stay human, which get augmented, and which get automated Why the future of work isn't being decided by AI, but by the leadership choices organizations make about it This session is for Talent Acquisition leaders, HR executives, and recruiting operations teams looking to bring structure to AI adoption in hiring. About Talent Architects: Talent Architects is a weekly show from People Science covering what's actually happening in talent acquisition, hosted by Christine Nichlos. People Science has helped organizations solve complex talent challenges since 1997 through Talent Advisory, RPO, Staff Augmentation, and Hiregate. Learn more at people-science.com. #TalentAcquisition #TalentArchitects #PeopleScience #Hiregate #RPO #HRStrategy #Recruiting #WorkforcePlanning #AIinRecruiting #AITax

August 27, 2026Episode 717 min

Is AI Making Hiring Bias Worse? | Talent Architects Episode 6

Naive observers watching a silent interview clip made the exact same hiring decision as the trained interviewer, after just 10 seconds. Christine Nichlos and COO Jessica Oberto dig into unconscious bias in the interview process, and what happens when AI, trained on data that's roughly 40% sourced from Reddit, inherits those same blind spots at scale. In this episode, Christine and Jessica cover: Why a landmark study found interview outcomes could be predicted from just 10 seconds of silent video, and what that reveals about unconscious bias Why AI doesn't remove bias from hiring, it can scale whatever bias already exists in your process if it goes unmonitored Why roughly 40% of AI training data comes from Reddit, and what that platform's demographics mean for the recommendations AI generates Why smaller, more controllable AI suppliers are becoming attractive to CHROs who want real influence over their tools How one AI tool saved an organization nearly $2 million for a $20,000 annual cost, and why most AI tools still don't work as promised Why human governance and accountability can't be removed from the hiring process, even as AI takes on more of the work This session is for Talent Acquisition leaders, HR executives, and recruiting operations teams looking to bring structure to AI adoption in hiring. About Talent Architects: Talent Architects is a weekly show from People Science covering what's actually happening in talent acquisition, hosted by Christine Nichlos. People Science has helped organizations solve complex talent challenges since 1997 through Talent Advisory, RPO, Staff Augmentation, and Hiregate. Learn more at people-science.com. #TalentAcquisition #TalentArchitects #PeopleScience #Hiregate #RPO #HRStrategy #Recruiting #WorkforcePlanning #AIBias #AIinRecruiting

August 20, 2026Episode 614 min

Talent Architects Recap: Catch Up + Where to Find Us This Fall

No new episode this week, so we're using this one to catch you up. After you watch this recap, you can go back and catch up on the first 5 episodes of Talent Architects. We're also hitting the road this fall. Come see us in person: RecFest Nashville, September HR Tech Vegas, October IPMI (The HR Management Institute), Orlando, October We'll be back next week with a brand new episode. About Talent Architects: Talent Architects is a weekly show from People Science covering what's actually happening in talent acquisition, hosted by Christine Nichlos. People Science has helped organizations solve complex talent challenges since 1997 through Talent Advisory, RPO, Staff Augmentation, and Hiregate. Learn more at people-science.com. #TalentAcquisition #TalentArchitects #PeopleScience #Hiregate #RPO #HRStrategy #Recruiting #WorkforcePlanning #RecFest #HRTech

August 13, 2026Episode 512 min

Beyond the Theory: What the AI Data Is Actually Showing Us | Talent Architects Episode 5

Most conversations about AI in recruiting are still theoretical. This episode isn't. Christine Nichlos and COO Jessica Oberto are joined by Lindsey Roundtree, People Science's Chief of Talent and Product, to share real, tracked results from Hiregate's own AI implementation, including an 8-day drop in time-to-interview after automating candidate and hiring manager scheduling. In this episode, Christine, Jessica, and Lindsey cover: Why the latest jobs report doesn't signal a slowing hiring market, and what the data actually shows instead How automating interview scheduling cut time-to-interview by 8 days in a high-volume recruiting environment Why AI-led first-round screening is already standard in tech recruiting, and what organizations risk by not adopting it How giving candidates and hiring managers scheduling autonomy accelerates the process without sacrificing experience Why new roles like Chief of AI are emerging, and what that signals about job creation, not just job loss, in TA Why the outcomes of AI-assisted hires need to be tracked long-term to know which parts of recruiting should stay automated versus manual This session is for Talent Acquisition leaders, HR executives, and recruiting operations teams looking to bring structure to AI adoption in hiring. About Talent Architects: Talent Architects is a weekly show from People Science covering what's actually happening in talent acquisition, hosted by Christine Nichlos. People Science has helped organizations solve complex talent challenges since 1997 through Talent Advisory, RPO, Staff Augmentation, and Hiregate. Learn more at people-science.com. #TalentAcquisition #TalentArchitects #PeopleScience #Hiregate #RPO #HRStrategy #Recruiting #WorkforcePlanning #AIinRecruiting #RecruitingData

August 6, 2026Episode 419 min

Flipping the Narrative on AI in Talent Acquisition | Talent Architects Episode 4

"AI is going to replace most of the work in Talent Acquisition." Christine Nichlos, founder and CEO of People Science and Hiregate, opens this episode with that claim, then makes the case for why TA leaders should flip the question entirely: instead of asking "where can I apply AI," ask "where do I apply people." In this episode, Christine and COO Jessica Oberto walk through the new talent ecosystem in practice, starting with AI agents first, and show what it actually looks like to become the architect of how work gets done. In this episode, Christine and Jessica cover: Why TA should map what AI agents can already do before deciding where people are actually needed How building real relationships with AI vendors, not just using their tools, gives TA more influence over how those tools get built Why contingent talent, outsourcing, temp workers, and contract firms, help organizations stay flexible as the experienced workforce shrinks How AI can calculate real training time and cost for internal talent before defaulting to an external hire Why layered, vetted referral programs outperform simply trusting who an employee recommends Why sourcing and incoming applicants remain the most familiar part of the ecosystem, and how they still fit into the bigger picture This session is for Talent Acquisition leaders, HR executives, and recruiting operations teams looking to bring structure to AI adoption in hiring. About Talent Architects: Talent Architects is a weekly show from People Science covering what's actually happening in talent acquisition, hosted by Christine Nichlos. People Science has helped organizations solve complex talent challenges since 1997 through Talent Advisory, RPO, Staff Augmentation, and Hiregate. Learn more at people-science.com. #TalentAcquisition #TalentArchitects #PeopleScience #Hiregate #RPO #HRStrategy #Recruiting #WorkforcePlanning #TalentEcosystem #AIinRecruiting #WorkArchitect

August 4, 2026Episode 320 min

Scrap the Job Description: The Rise of the Work Architect | Talent Architects Ep. 3

Every part of talent acquisition, no matter how you look at it, is heading toward automation. Christine Nichlos, founder and CEO of People Science and Hiregate, argues that's exactly why TA professionals need to stop waiting to be told what their role becomes next and start owning it themselves. In this episode, Christine and COO Jessica Oberto lay out what it actually means to shift from tactical recruiter to work architect, and why the organizations that make that shift now will have a real competitive advantage. In this episode, Christine and Jessica cover: Why recruiters need to move from executing tasks to designing how work gets done, and take that seat at the leadership table How TA can own the relationship with AI vendors instead of reacting to whatever tools IT or leadership adopt first Why contingent staffing, contractors, temps, and outsourcing keep giving organizations a competitive edge as technology shifts every few months How to use AI to evaluate whether internal talent can be trained up in time, or whether a role needs to be filled externally Why most referral programs go untracked, and how that blind spot quietly costs organizations Why sourcing and incoming applicants are already the two areas where AI is delivering the clearest results today This session is for Talent Acquisition leaders, HR executives, and recruiting operations teams looking to bring structure to AI adoption in hiring. About Talent Architects: Talent Architects is a weekly show from People Science covering what's actually happening in talent acquisition, hosted by Christine Nichlos. People Science has helped organizations solve complex talent challenges since 1997 through Talent Advisory, RPO, Staff Augmentation, and Hiregate. Learn more at people-science.com. #TalentAcquisition #TalentArchitects #PeopleScience #Hiregate #RPO #HRStrategy #Recruiting #WorkforcePlanning #TalentEcosystem #AIinRecruiting #WorkArchitect

July 24, 2026Episode 224 min

Hiring Is No Longer Enough: The New Talent Ecosystem | Talent Architects Ep. 2

Most talent acquisition teams still start with a job description. Christine Nichlos, founder and CEO of People Science and Hiregate, argues that's the wrong starting point entirely; the real question isn't "who do we hire," it's "how does this work actually get done?" In this episode, Christine and COO Jessica Oberto break down the six parts of the new Talent Ecosystem and how organizations can meet hiring demand without just adding headcount. In this episode, Christine and Jessica cover: Why starting with "what work needs to be executed" produces better outcomes than starting with a job description How AI agents are already automating large parts of recruiting, and why that shifts the recruiter's role toward advisor and vendor liaison Why contingent staffing, contractors, temps, and outsourcing lets organizations absorb hiring surges without permanently growing recruiting headcount How to evaluate upskilling and internal mobility against cost and time before defaulting to an external hire Why unvetted referral programs quietly waste money, and what a well-tracked referral process looks like instead Why "post and pray" sourcing no longer works in a crowded, AI-saturated candidate market This session is for Talent Acquisition leaders, HR executives, and recruiting operations teams looking to bring structure to AI adoption in hiring. About Talent Architects: Talent Architects is a weekly show from People Science covering what's actually happening in talent acquisition, hosted by Christine Nichlos. People Science has helped organizations solve complex talent challenges since 1997 through Talent Advisory, RPO, Staff Augmentation, and Hiregate, our proprietary Recruiter Candidate Tracking System (RCTS). Learn more at people-science.com.

July 23, 2026Episode 115 min

2026 Midyear Talent Check: Do You Know Where Your Talent Stands? | Talent Architects Ep. 1

Most TA teams can answer what they're doing; few can answer where they actually stand. In this episode, Christine Nichlos, founder and CEO of People Science and Hiregate, breaks down the biggest talent acquisition challenges of 2026 so far and what they reveal about where TA is heading. In this episode, Christine covers: Why more applications aren't producing more qualified candidates Why AI, cybersecurity, and healthcare roles stay hard to fill even as hiring slows Where AI actually helps recruiting, and where human judgment still has to lead Why hiring manager delays cost more top candidates than sourcing problems do The shift from "fill this role" to "fix what's breaking in our talent process" Take your own Talent Assessment: People Science offers a free Talent Assessment to help you benchmark exactly where your organization stands. Start here: https://people-science.com/how-we-work/step-2/ About Talent Architects: Talent Architects is a weekly show from People Science covering what's actually happening in talent acquisition, hosted by Christine Nichlos. People Science has helped organizations solve complex talent challenges since 1997 through Talent Advisory, RPO, Staff Augmentation, and Hiregate, our proprietary Recruiter Candidate Tracking System (RCTS). Learn more at people-science.com.

June 24, 2026Episode 21 hr 5 min

Morph or Miss: How Talent Acquisition Can Lead the AI Revolution

What if the first question Talent Acquisition should ask isn't: "Who should we hire?" What if it's: "Should we hire at all?" AI is changing more than recruiting tools. It's changing how work gets done. In many organizations, work that once required a new hire may now be accomplished through a combination of AI, automation, internal talent, contractors, or redesigned workflows. That's why TA leaders have an opportunity to become something more than recruiters. They can become architects of how work gets done. In this podcast, we'll discuss: ✔ Why the traditional recruiting model is being challenged ✔ The rise of the Work Architect ✔ How leading organizations are rethinking work, not just hiring ✔ Practical steps TA leaders can take today

May 14, 2026Episode 11 hr 3 min

Own the AI Conversation: A Technology Roadmap through the Recruiting Continuum

We go stage by stage through the Recruiting Continuum and show you exactly where AI creates real value, where it introduces risk, and what you need to have in place before any of it works. No theory. No vendor pitch. Just a practical, honest look at what's working right now from a team that runs Talent Acquisition engagements every day. You'll leave with: • A clear picture of where your process is AI-ready (and where it isn't) • The language to lead the AI conversation with leadership - not just react to it • A stage-by-stage roadmap you can actually use on Monday