Contingent workforce managers are weighing in on topics from program design to artificial intelligence today at Staffing Industry Analysts’ CWS Summit in Dallas.

The conference kicked off today with a series of TED-style talks covering diversity, where contingent workforce programs can go wrong, technology and more. Here is what the presenters had to say:

• Where might contingent workforce programs be going wrong? One challenge is driving down costs at the expense of quality, according to a discussion led by Peter Reagan, SIA’s director of contingent workforce strategies and research for EMEA and APAC. Another thing to watch for is not effectively addressing the root cause of talent acquisition challenges around the world. And Reagan said that sometimes the most important word in a contingent workforce manager’s vocabulary is “no.”
• Some 64% of large users of staffing services have a supplier diversity program in place, according to SIA research. But that should be 100%, said Dawn McCartney, SIA’s senior director of contingent workforce strategies and research for the Americas. McCartney also noted only a small number of staffing buyers have a diversity strategy in place to ensure candidate diversity.
• People are scared AI will take their jobs, but the reality is that AI is just software, said Jason Ezratty, co-founder and president of Brightfield Strategies. And with AI you will be able to do more of the important work and leave tedious tasks to machines. AI will also be able to help forecast trends and what will happen rather than the software dashboards of the past that acted as rear-view mirrors on what has already happened.
• Bryan Peña, senior VP of contingent workforce strategies at SIA, talked about courage in the face of change and what it takes to do the right thing to succeed. Peña also did a call-out to the Game Changers.

The CWS Summit, which brings together contingent workforce managers, staffing suppliers and others to discuss and learn about the latest trends affecting the contingent workforce, runs through tomorrow. Some 1,100 attendees from around the world are at the conference. The first event today was discussion roundtables for attendees.