Without AI skills will tech workers find themselves out of work?

Tech workers are trying to keep up with the fast-paced advancements of AI. In a time when most companies label themselves as “AI companies,” tech employees are rushing to freshen up their skill sets and make sure they remain relevant, The Wall Street Journal wrote.

It’s getting harder to find jobs, too. People are getting laid off, applying to different jobs, and being told they’re one of hundreds of applications from people in the same situation. The competition pool is getting exceedingly crowded and workers are looking for ways to stand out to land jobs, hence the urgency of trying to upskill.

Course sign-up sheets are overflowing. Tony Phillips, co-founder of the Deep Atlas boot camp, told The Wall Street Journal that they noticed an influx of workers wanting to advance their AI skills. So, they added five extra slots to their summer AI boot camp.

“The skills building for me is a worthwhile investment,” said Asif Dhanani, who was recently laid off at Amazon and is registered for a two-week online AI boot camp from Deep Atlas costing a whopping USD 6.8k.

AI is here, and it’s taking over. However, as long as workers can learn the technology and how to use it to their advantage, their jobs may not be at too much of a risk. “You’re probably not going to get replaced by AI. You’re going to be replaced by someone who knows AI and does your job,” said Phillips.

Got the skills? Make it clear. According to the 2024 Work Trend Index from Microsoft, skills like Copilot and ChatGPT are 142 times more common on people’s profiles than the year prior and job posts mentioning AI on LinkedIn receive 17% more applications compared with non-AI roles.

Companies aren’t necessarily looking for experienced workers. “More important than prior experience in AI, is a willingness to learn and a commitment to the company’s mission,” says Elena Chatziathanasiadou, who runs the 6-month-long ChatGPT-maker’s residency program. So far, they’ve accepted seemingly unfit candidates like college dropouts and a Juilliard graduate who worked on an AI-based music research project.