True's AI Index: A New Blueprint for Finding AI-Ready Executives

PHILADELPHIA, PA – June 02, 2026 – In a market grappling with how to lead through unprecedented technological change, executive talent platform True has launched a new tool aimed at bringing clarity to the chaos. The firm today announced its True AI Capability Index℠, a proprietary framework designed to predict executive performance in an era defined by artificial intelligence.

The move addresses a growing chasm in the leadership market. On one side are seasoned executives with proven track records who are struggling to adapt their playbooks for an AI-driven world. On the other are high-potential, digitally native candidates who may possess AI fluency but lack the experience to steer large, complex organizations. True claims its index is the first reliable system to bridge this gap by assessing candidates on both proven execution and what it calls “AI skill/will.”

“We are entering a phase where relationship depth and judgment matter more than ever,” said Brad Stadler, CEO and co-founder of True Platform. “The cost of finding names is decreasing. True’s advantage lies in our ability to assess talent using these advanced frameworks. We’re modernizing executive hiring to ensure our clients have the leadership they need to outperform.”

Redefining the Executive Playbook

The launch of the AI Capability Index arrives as businesses worldwide move from AI experimentation to strategic implementation. However, this transition is proving difficult. Recent studies, including a 2026 report from PwC, indicate that while AI adoption is surging, a significant “trust gap” is hindering measurable returns. Organizations struggle to confidently deploy AI, partly because they lack leadership capable of navigating the technology's complexities and risks.

This challenge has not gone unnoticed by the wider executive search industry. Major firms like Korn Ferry and Spencer Stuart are actively advising clients on identifying and developing “AI-ready” leaders. The consensus is that while traditional leadership qualities like vision and empathy remain critical, a new set of attributes is required. Yet, True aims to move beyond advisory frameworks by embedding this assessment into a standardized, predictive index.

True’s gambit is to provide a quantifiable solution to a qualitative problem. The firm posits that in the AI age, a leader’s potential can no longer be judged solely on past performance in a pre-AI context. As Gartner analysts predict that AI will fundamentally break down and reshape millions of career paths by 2028, the ability to adapt and learn—what the index aims to measure—becomes a company’s most valuable leadership asset. True’s framework is a direct response to this new reality, seeking to replace outdated hiring assumptions with a forward-looking model of executive success.

Inside the Index: Measuring 'AI Skill/Will'

The True AI Capability Index℠ categorizes candidates along two primary axes: “execution pedigree” and “AI skill/will.” This dual-metric approach allows clients to visualize the trade-offs between different leadership profiles, moving beyond a one-dimensional view of talent.

But the framework’s real innovation lies in its attempt to quantify adaptability. It assesses candidates across five dimensions of what True calls adaptive intelligence—traits believed to predict success in high-transformation environments. These include:

• Model-Updating Speed: How quickly a leader revises their beliefs and strategies when confronted with new, contradictory evidence.
• Personal AI Engagement: Whether a candidate has personally integrated AI into their own workflows, demonstrating genuine adoption rather than delegated curiosity.
• AI-Era Decision-Making: The ability to reason through profound ambiguity and make sound judgments in real-time, often with incomplete data.
• Hybrid Organization Design: The strategic foresight to structure teams and processes around effective human-AI collaboration.

The goal is to create a shared language for a new kind of talent discussion. “Our clients are looking for leaders who can drive transformation with no historical precedent,” said Evan Grossman, Managing Director and co-Head of the CEO & Board Practices at True. “The framework creates a shared language for these conversations. We help clients understand the trade-offs between expert operators and AI-focused innovators. This clarity narrows the candidate pool and leads to more realistic hiring decisions.”

By focusing on these capabilities, True intends to de-risk high-stakes executive hires. The index is designed to identify leaders who are not only effective today but are also unlikely to plateau as technology continues its relentless advance. It’s a bet that the ability to learn and adapt is now the most critical component of an executive's long-term value.

From Gut Feel to Data-Driven Decisions

True's new index is part of a broader industry trend away from purely intuition-based hiring and toward more objective, data-informed talent strategies. For decades, executive search has been characterized as an art form, heavily reliant on a consultant's personal network and subjective judgment. While human insight remains indispensable, firms are increasingly leveraging data and AI to augment their processes, reduce bias, and improve predictive accuracy.

This shift is changing the value proposition of executive search itself. As Stadler noted, the commoditization of data means simply “finding names” is no longer a defensible business model. The real value lies in sophisticated assessment—the ability to analyze a candidate’s fit and future potential with a high degree of precision. By codifying the assessment of AI readiness, True is making a strategic play to own this high-value territory.

However, the rise of AI in hiring is not without its challenges. Industry watchdogs and organizational psychologists consistently raise valid concerns about the potential for algorithmic bias, where AI models inadvertently perpetuate historical hiring inequities. For any data-driven assessment tool to be successful and ethical, its creators must ensure rigorous auditing, transparency, and a commitment to human-centered design.

The Strategic Imperative for AI-Fluent Leadership

Ultimately, the need for tools like the True AI Capability Index℠ reflects a fundamental transformation in the nature of leadership itself. AI is evolving from a back-office tool to a strategic partner in the C-suite. This concept of “augmented leadership,” where executives collaborate with AI to enhance their decision-making, is rapidly gaining traction.

This new paradigm demands leaders who are not just AI-aware but AI-fluent. They must be capable of asking the right questions of the technology, interpreting its outputs with critical judgment, and, most importantly, leading their people through the cultural and operational shifts that AI necessitates. This is creating new C-suite roles, such as the Chief AI Officer (CAIO), and forcing a radical evolution of existing ones.

In this environment, identifying the right leader is more than a talent acquisition challenge; it is a core strategic imperative. Companies that fail to place AI-capable leaders at the helm risk falling behind, unable to capitalize on opportunities or mitigate the disruptive threats of the AI era. True’s index is a clear signal that the market for executive talent is adapting, creating new benchmarks to identify the leaders who will build the future-proof businesses of tomorrow.