AI chatbots and image generators such as ChatGPT and DALL-E have made AI a very hot topic. As AI developments are happening at a rapid pace, the need for workers to support these advancements is also increasing.
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Stanford University's AI Index Report found that in 2022, the demand for AI jobs in the United States was the highest it had been since 2014.
AI Index Annual Report/Stanford UniversityDespite overall demand being high, AI encompasses a broad range of technologies and subfields. Consequently, employers are looking for workers with different specific skill sets that fall under the AI umbrella depending on their individual use case.
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So what skill is the most in demand today?
When you think of AI, you most likely associate it with one of the popular generative AI models that are currently garnering lots of attention. Not surprisingly, according to the Stanford report, the skill most in demand is machine learning, appearing in 1.03% of all job postings.
Machine learning refers to the subsection of AI that teaches a system to make a prediction based on the data it's trained on. Generative AI is, therefore, a machine-learning framework.
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Machine learning was followed by the broader skill cluster of AI, which came in at .61% of all job postings.
AI Index Annual Report/Stanford UniversityNatural language processing (.20%), neural networks (.16%), autonomous driving (.15%), visual image recognition (.13%), and robotics (.06%) fell at the bottom of the chart.
Based on the results, focusing on machine learning or learning more about that specific branch of AI may be beneficial for those pursuing a career in AI.