The Problem
Here's What Happens When You Hire Your First AI Engineer Alone
Most companies making their first AI hire follow the same pattern, and it ends badly.
The Failure Patterns ↓
They sound brilliant in interviews
They drop buzzwords about LLMs, agents, and automation but can't deliver in your environment.
They don't understand your business...
... so they build cool AI demos and prototypes that don't solve your actual problems or generate revenue.
They're alone on an island
No peers. No mentorship. No one to reality-check their ideas or keep them accountable.
They fail quietly for 6-12 months
Then they leave. You're back to square one with $150K+ gone and a cautionary tale about "why AI doesn't work here".
The Real Damage
It's not just the money. It's the lost time, the board's lost confidence, your team's skepticism, and your competitors pulling further ahead while you're stuck at zero.
Your first AI hire isn't just a person.
It's a referendum on whether AI can succeed at your company.
And if you do it alone, the odds aren't in your favor.
"Can't I Just Hire Someone and Support Them Internally?"
"Can't I Just Hire Someone and Support Them Internally?"
You might be thinking: "We're smart people. Can't we just hire an AI engineer and figure out the support part ourselves?"
Here's why that doesn't work
01
You don't know what "good" looks like
Hiring for AI requires different signals. Without deep benchmarks, even sharp hiring managers misread what “qualified” means.
02
Your team can’t mentor in a space they haven’t mastered
Even top engineers struggle to guide an AI hire when they’ve never shipped an AI project themselves.
03
Your engineering culture isn't built for AI yet
AI projects need different workflows, different tooling, and different thinking. Learning those through trial and error burns time and budget.
04
You'll learn these lessons the expensive way
We've been recruiting and supporting engineers for decades. We've trained thousands in AI through our certification program. We know what works and what fails. That knowledge is worth way more than $5,400.
The truth?
By the time you figure all this out yourself, you've spent $150K+ and 12 months on a failed experiment.
We help you skip the expensive learning curve.
The Solution
Introducing "Your First AI Hire" - We Make Sure They Succeed
We don't just place an AI engineer. We de-risk your first AI hire with training, support, and accountability built in from day one.
How We De-Risk Your First AI Hire
We Keep Them Accountable
Standard Agile sprint cycles. Clear deliverables every two weeks. Real projects that move your business forward.
We Guarantee Results
60-day replacement guarantee. If it's not working, we replace the engineer at no cost. Your success is our success.
We Train Them Properly
40-hour intensive AI training plus ongoing AI Officer Certification ($999 value included). They learn to ship results, not just build prototypes.
We Support Them Continuously
Dotted-line management from senior Edge8 engineers. Weekly planning meetings. Access to our engineering community. They're never alone.
We Find the Right Person
We recruit and vet candidates who fit your culture and business needs, not just AI buzzwords. You approve our recommendation. We've been recruiting high-performing engineers for decades.
How it works
The 90-Day Process to De-Risk Your First AI Hire
STEP 1
Month 0
FREE TALENT MATCH
This happens BEFORE your 3-month paid program begins. We handle all sourcing and vetting. You approve candidates or request final interviews. Once you say yes, THEN your 3-month program starts and billing begins.
Duration: 2-4 weeks
Your Cost: $0
You don't need to know what "good" looks like in AI talent. We do.
STEP 2
Month 1
Train + Ship Quick Win
Week 1: Intensive 40-hour AI training + company onboarding
Weeks 2-4: 35 hours/week on your work, 5 hours continued training
Your Cost: $1,800
Deliverable: Small AI automation shipped by end of Month 1
Your engineer learns to deliver real business value, not just impressive prototypes.
STEP 3
Month 2-3
Build Real ROI
Your engineer completes full AI Officer Certification while delivering measurable results every two-week sprint.
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Weekly planning meetings keep them aligned with your goals
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Dotted-line management ensures accountability
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They learn to manage AI projects, not just execute tasks
Your Cost: $1,800
Deliverable: Real ROI by Month 2
The 60-Day Proven Hire Guarantee: If your engineer isn't shipping real value by Day 60, we don't just replace them—we refund Month 1 AND find you a new hire at no additional cost. You risk absolutely nothing.
STEP 3
After Month 3
You Decide
By the end of 90 days, your first AI hire is a success story, not a cautionary tale.
The Real Win: You've proven AI works at your company.
Your Options for Next Steps:
Hire them full-time with confidence, they're proven and productive
Extend dotted-line support at reduced rate as you scale
Start your next placement and build your AI team faster
The Real Math: You're Not Buying a Service, You're Buying Insurance
Invest $5,400 to Avoid Wasting $150K+
$5,400 for 3 months ($1,800/month)
This isn't a hiring cost. It's an insurance policy against the most expensive mistake you can make: hiring your first AI person alone and watching them fail for a year.
Here's what $5,400 gets you
Zero risk of hiring the wrong person
Zero risk of them being isolated and failing
Proof that AI works at your company in 90 days
A hire who actually delivers, not just talks about "AI strategy"
Foundation to scale your AI program with confidence
Compare that to going alone
$150K+ annual salary for someone unproven
You don't know what "good" looks like in AI talent
They're isolated with no support system
6-12 months of slow failure before you realize it's not working
Board loses confidence in AI. Team becomes skeptical. Competitors pull ahead.
The question isn't "Can I afford $5,400?"
The question is: "Can I afford to waste $150K+ and a year proving AI doesn't work at my company?"
Who this is for
Built for Mid-Sized Companies Making Their First AI Hire
Company Profile
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300-500 employees
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Not tech-native (F&B, distribution, logistics, professional services)
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Ready to operationalize AI but need guidance
You're the Right Fit If
✓ You know AI matters but don't know how to evaluate AI talent
✓ You want to start shipping AI projects in months, not years
✓ You understand that isolated engineers fail without support
✓ You're ready to invest in doing it right the first time
You Don't Need
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A data science team already in place
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Deep AI expertise on your leadership team
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A massive budget for AI experiments
You Just Need
Someone who can orchestrate humans, data, and AI tools to drive real business results.
Why Edge8 AI
Edge8 AI isn't a staffing company. We're your AI transformation partner.
Recruiting Excellence
Decades of successful engineering placements across startups to Fortune 500 companies We know how to spot trainability and potential.
AI Expertise
8 years deep in AI implementation. We know what works in production environments, not just theory and hype.
Engineering Culture
We don't just place people and disappear. We build support systems that guarantee success through community, mentorship, and accountability.
Proven Training Systems
We've trained thousands of professionals to become AI Officers through our certification program. Now we're putting that playbook to work for your company.
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Meet Our Founder - Your Chief AI Officer
Our Track Record
✓ Decades of successful engineering placements across startups to Fortune 500 companies
✓ 8 years deep in AI - we know what works in production, not just in demos
✓ Thousands trained through AI Officer Institute certification program
✓ First placements launching with F&B and distribution companies in 2025
Dave Hajdu
Founder, Chief AI Officer (CAIO) at Edge8 AI
8 years building AI implementations. Decades recruiting and developing high-performing engineers. Co-Founder of AI Officer Institute where thousands of professionals have learned to operationalize AI.
Co-Founder of TINYpulse (acquired by WebMD), Microsoft alum., EO Leader for 500+ SEA businesses.
"Most companies fail at AI because they hire someone and leave them on an island. We've spent years perfecting the support systems that make AI hires succeed."
What Our Partners Say
"I invited Dave to speak at the AI Summit in Sabah, and he was a natural on stage, bringing a fresh style the audience loved. We are looking forward to collaborating with the AI Officer Institute and Edge8 to bring their AI Certification Program to Malaysia and have signed an MOU to broaden the reach of our organization."
Dato George Lim
Founder and CEO/Business Coach/Entrepreneur
G&A GROUP & GA SPACE
"We were lucky enough to have Dave Hajdu work with our forum to help understand how AI is automating tasks and exploding output across a wide range of applications. He was able to greatly expand our general knowledge of AI and demystify the challenges of implementation. I highly recommend Edge8.ai as a YPO resource. We very much enjoyed our time with him and will be working to implement AI strategies in our businesses."
John VanNewkirk
YPO Gold Seattle, Forum 6
"I am very grateful to Dave Hajdu, who spoke to graduate students in our international business and public policy program during our visit to Vietnam about Negotiations and AI. He was extremely knowledgeable and engaging. Real-world experiences complemented our class discussions perfectly."
Dr. Brooks Holtom
Professor of Management, Georgetown
“Love the new look and branding. The website looks so good. I’m deeply grateful. The brand interview really made me think about our positioning and business in ways I never expected.”
Dao Nguyen
Founder, DN Legal
“I can’t stop looking at the new website and brand book. With Edge8’s help, we’re finally presenting ourselves the way we’ve always wanted. The speed, the quality, and the care were all top-notch. Everything is just amazing. More than happy.”
Tuan Anh Le
Managing Partner, DN Legal
"Working with Edge8 has been a pleasure. When I launched Fab Four Academy, I needed support to build a strong brand and digital presence. Dave and the team at Edge8 stepped in and not helped with the branding and digital presence, but showed us how to leverage AI to streamline our processes. With the help of Edge8 we have scaled from single posts to a full content engine while keeping true to our vision and voice. I am thrilled with the help they have provided."
Dan Absher
CEO, Absher Construction Company
