So your company wants you to upskill in AI, even though you’re a non-tech employee. You’re not alone. Sixty-four percent of businesses expect AI to increase productivity, and 97% of business owners believe ChatGPT will help their business, according to Forbes Advisor. And these businesses that are adopting AI are not just tech businesses. Professions in manufacturing, finance, even teaching will be affected by AI adoption. In fact, a McKinsey report predicts that between 2016 and 2030, AI-related advancements may affect around 15% of the global workforce.
AI upskilling might sound daunting for professionals who don’t identify as tech-savvy. But AI is for all, and this step-by-step guide will help you forge your path toward AI mastery.
Table of Contents
- Identify Non-Technical Skills That Transfer to AI Upskilling
- Start Your AI Education Journey
- Understand AI’s Limitations
- Befriend Some Bots
- Make It a Team Learning Effort
-
Identify Non-Tech Skills That Transfer to AI Upskilling
The concept of artificial intelligence is heavily associated with IT and technical skills, which can intimidate professionals without a technical background. But the skills required to master AI in your role are not necessarily technical.
Katy George, senior partner and chief people officer at McKinsey, says digital competency stems from curiosity. “It’s about the mindset of trying new things and kind of adopting and experimenting. It’s a learning mindset — learning agility.” Think of your current role and all the learning you have done to master your everyday tasks. You have already demonstrated the skills required to learn how to use AI. Now let the learning begin!
-
Start Your AI Education Journey
The easiest way to start learning about AI is to find reputable resources — read their blogs, follow them on LinkedIn, and tune in to the discourse.
Follow PTP on LinkedIn and subscribe to the PTP Report.
Without doing the proper research, it’s easy to get bogged down by AI hysteria — the constant claims that AI will make our jobs obsolete, leaving us unemployed and miserable. Of course, some jobs will be affected by AI adoption, which can be unnerving. That’s why it’s important to learn how it will impact your industry in particular. Media jobs, for example, will be affected by AI’s ability to generate written, video, and audio content. Jobs in analytics will be affected by AI’s ability to predict trends based on large amounts of data. And so on.
-
Understand AI’s Limitations