In episode 109 of the Leadership Minute, I give an overview of what you need in order to make a career in artificial intelligence (AI).
This episode is sponsored by Acceleration Economy’s “Cloud Wars Top 10 Course,” which explains how Bob Evans builds and updates the Cloud Wars Top 10 ranking, as well as how C-suite executives use the list to inform strategic cloud purchase decisions. The course is available today.
Highlights
01:18 — There are always going to be tech companies and well-funded startups that can offer ridiculously high dollars. It’s a great opportunity for job seekers with the best AI-related skills. But those jobs are very hard to land.
01: 48 — It’s more realistic to look at what more typical companies are going to be looking for: First, people who aren’t specifically AI experts but can learn tools like ChatGPT, Bing Chat Enterprise, Google’s Bard, Microsoft Copilot, and so on.
02:36 — Second, there are skills that AI experts will need to have. Companies will need someone who can come into a company and lead an AI initiative. What kind of skills would this person have? Number one, data handling and processing: expertise in database management and knowing tools and technologies like SQL, Apache, Kafka, Apache Spark, and Apache Hadoop.
03:32 — Number two, advanced algorithm knowledge: technologies like TensorFlow, PyTorch, and scikit-learn. Next, specialized AI skills: expertise in specialized AI domains like natural language processing or computer vision.
04:14 — Another is expertise in AI product development and the ability to translate AI capabilities into business applications. This involves integrating AI models into software applications, mobile apps, and online platforms. Next, AI ethics and bias mitigation which entails knowing AI fairness toolkits and model interpretability tools; next, continuous learning and research. Additionally, it will include business acumen as well as collaboration and teamwork.
05:47 — Finally, AI model deployment and scaling: Once an AI model is developed, it needs to be deployed and possibly scaled. Knowledge of cloud platforms and deployment tools is essential (AWS, SageMaker, Google AI platform, Microsoft Azure, and Docker Kubernetes).
06:27 — It’d be very reasonable for someone of this caliber to land a job in the $300,000 to $500,000 range for sure. But you don’t have to be the best at everything. If you have expertise in one or more of those categories, you could still land a job on a team of AI experts building out the company’s AI program.
07:05 — The AI explosion has progressed faster than anyone ever thought it would. The need for people who are highly skilled in this field is not going away. If you have a passion for AI and want to go into that field, start where you are and start picking up more of those skills.
