‘Is it too late to learn AI? How can I start learning AI? Is learning AI hard?’ If these questions have crossed your mind, don’t worry: these are some of the most common doubts that rise when we start to consider what artificial intelligence could mean for us and our future careers. It’s clear that AI skills are in high demand and definitely worth the effort of adding them to your resume, but what exactly does it mean to get into AI? Or learn AI? That’s exactly what we’re here to uncover.
In this article, we’ll dive into some of the areas where artificial intelligence is predicted to have the biggest impact, such as creativity and data analysis, as well as answering your burning questions about becoming a professional with the in-demand AI skills that are so necessary in today’s ever-changing world.
First, however, we’ll review some of the reasons why AI is such a popular field and why you should take a second and consider adding some AI skills to your repertoire. Sound like a plan? Let’s dive right in.
Why Learn AI?
As you can probably imagine from the rush of interest surrounding AI, there are quite a few reasons why considering a career in the field or at least learning a few AI skills is a good idea. We’ve chosen, however, to highlight three of the main reasons why focusing your efforts on adding AI skills to your resume is a good idea:
The field of artificial intelligence is growing rapidly: if it feels like AI blew up all of a sudden, you’re not alone and there’s a clear reason why: thanks to AI models that became easier to use and more accessible to everyday users, artificial intelligence became something that anyone could use, not just those with access to massive computers. And as more and more people and companies adopt AI technologies, the sector will continue to grow.
Professionals with AI skills are well-compensated: hiring managers are looking for professionals with AI skills and it’s easy to understand why: AI skills are in high demand and therefore those with the right skills will be both highly demanded and well compensated for what they bring to the table.
AI will always keep you on your toes: with the rapid speed at which artificial intelligence technology is evolving, there will never be a dull day on the job and you’ll be challenged constantly, working hard to stay on top of the latest developments in this fast-moving industry.
It sounds almost too good to be true, right? Good news: it’s not. Below, you can discover some applications of AI in specific industries and see which piques your interest the most.
AI and Creativity
Even the world’s most creative individuals struggle with coming up with innovative and attention-grabbing ideas sometimes and that’s completely normal and exactly why AI has so much potential for creative roles. But AI’s range of capabilities isn’t limited to just brainstorming and it’s gained a reputation for being incredibly valuable in the following areas:
Image creation: looking for an image that perfectly encapsulates your brand’s image? Or a way to display your findings in an engaging and visually pleasing manner? Creative AI tools can help you create the images or visuals of your dreams in just a matter of seconds.
Image manipulation: have a base image that’s not quite what you need? Manipulating images to personalize them for your specific needs is an incredibly valuable skill that will help you better connect with your audience.
Design automation: tasked with a number of projects that are quite similar and just need the tiniest tweak? When you learn how to harness automation for your design process, you’ll be able to increase your efficiency without compromising your outputs.
User experience optimization: with the help of AI tools, you’ll be better suited to personalize the individual user experience of all guests and improve overall usability, contributing to a more positive experience and more user loyalty.
Interested in discovering what else is out there in the sphere of AI and creativity? Take a look here:
AI and Web Development
With the help of artificial intelligence tools, you can write better and more effective code with helpful flags of where there might be bugs or where you can improve your code, in addition to assistance with data analysis to help you classify your results. In addition, you can learn to create APIs to have custom models ready to use in your own company.
Web developers who take advantage of what artificial intelligence has to offer can bring the following to their next role:
Knowledge of how to use ChatGPT to advance their tasks: with the help of ChatGPT, developers can improve their app functions and improve overall user engagement.
New AI prototypes and products: developers who possess the knowledge of how to develop and deploy innovative AI prototypes and products are uniquely suited to optimize their overall performances.
More tools to use: once developers are proficient in programming languages like Python that are the basis for the majority of AI tools, they’ll have even more options when it comes to finding the right tool for their specific needs.
Better insights: as developers become more familiar with AI, they can use what they’ve learned about deep learning or neural networks to dive even deeper into their findings.
Web development and artificial intelligence are uniquely suited to transform the tech landscape; here’s a collection of even more articles to help further your understanding of their potential:
AI and Data Analysis
The best decisions are backed by data, but as we begin to collect increasingly large amounts of data, one burning question stands out: how can we ensure that we’re both able to collect the right data and analyze it properly, drawing the best possible conclusions? One of artificial intelligence’s most powerful abilities is data analysis; it can collect, process, and analyze incredibly large quantities of data, delivering the most important insights right to your fingertips.
Any professional can benefit from adding AI data analysis skills to their repertoire:
Increase efficiency: say goodbye to tedious data tasks such as cleaning or collecting and let AI help you quickly obtain the insights you need to make data-backed decisions for your company.
Reveal new insights: data analysis can be time-consuming and it is quite the challenge to ensure you cover all your bases and evaluate every pattern or trend; artificial intelligence tools can help do this for you, delivering just the necessary insights to you in a matter of seconds.
Achieve better results: with AI tools’ abilities to spot mistakes and issues in data, as well as flagging potentially false information, you’ll reduce your errors in data analysis and have cleaner, more accurate results.
If you’re interested in seeing what else artificial intelligence and data analysis can do for you, check out our other articles:
AI for Everyone
Don’t fit into one of the above categories but still want to know if artificial intelligence can help advance your career? Well, that’s easy: of course it can! Whether you’re a marketing professional, an entrepreneur, a teacher, or even a medical professional, adding AI skills to your resume can help you stay up-to-date with the latest technologies and help you advance further in your career.
Here’s some light reading to help you find the right direction to take your artificial intelligence journey:
With this helpful breakdown of where you can focus your efforts as you embark on your AI journey, let’s head into answering your burning questions about decoding the artificial intelligence world and how you can focus your efforts on learning marketbale AI skills that will advance your career.
How to Get into Artificial Intelligence
Now that you’re well-versed on what getting into AI would mean for you, no matter your sector, let’s get right to the good stuff: how to get into AI. And as with anything, the first step is mastering the basics as a beginner:
Review your math skills: lots of AI technology is based on math, especially if you’re interested in diving into the creation of AI algorithms so reviewing your calculus and algebra, in addition to probability, can help you get ready for working with AI algorithms.
Refresh your stats knowledge: as you know, data is incredibly important for decision making and knowing how to interpret and understand data is an essential element of working with AI tools.
Be open to new challenges: lots of tools and technologies in the AI field are new and exciting, but they might also pose a challenge that you’ve never had to deal with before. As you start your AI journey, remember to keep an open mind and a positive outlook.
With these three elements, you’ll be well on your way towards adding valuable AI skills to your toolbox. The specific skills that you want to learn will depend on your field of choice and sector (see above!) and if you want to simply use AI to enhance your current role or dive fully into AI, but with these three boxes checked, you’ll be setting yourself up for success.
Is AI difficult to learn?
The answer to this question will depend heavily on your personal knowledge and experience, but we can safely say that the vast majority of people, regardless of their background, can master AI skills if they dedicate the proper time and effort towards it. In fact, one of the most intimidating aspects of AI is how fast it moves, requiring you to stay up to date with the latest trends and technologies practically constantly.
At first, you may struggle with understanding how AI works since it can be different from what you’re used to, especially the pace at which it evolves, but focus your efforts on these three steps and you’ll be in good shape:
Learn programming languages: while R and Python are the most commonly used programming languages with AI tools, a general understanding of programming and coding will help advance your AI career. We definitely recommend focusing on Python as you begin and diving into more advanced languages later on in your career; with Python, you’ll be able to work with the majority of AI tools.
Review data analysis: you know that AI tools are based on data and that they use data to make decisions or create outputs; therefore, knowing how to analyze data and get the outcomes you desire is a crucial part of working with AI tools. And as we mentioned above, a clear understanding of basic algebra, probability, and calculus will help you significantly in your quest for AI knowledge.
Stay up-to-date with current events: it feels like AI tools are popping up constantly and, well, they are. To ensure you don’t miss anything and are marketing yourself as the best candidate for roles that require AI knowledge, staying up-to-date with latest developments and updates is absolutely essential.
Is it too late to learn AI?
Of course not! We totally understand that it seems like the advances in AI in recent years have moved so fast that there’s no catching up, but that’s not the reality at all: there’s never been a better time to dedicate yourself to learning AI skills and that’s because we’re just at the cusp of the AI revolution and there’s so much more still to come. So if you’re concerned about being too far behind, think again: now’s your moment.
Steps to Get Into Artificial Intelligence
We’ve convinced you: it’s time to prioritize AI. But how can you learn these skills? Do you have to go back to school? Or can you teach yourself? Let’s dive in.
Decide where you want to focus your efforts
There are tons of amazing AI tools out there and although you may be tempted to take on all at once, it’s better to carefully choose one or two skills to master before you move on to more. In addition, make sure you research your specific industry or the industry you’d like to enter so that you have a good idea of what skills will be useful in your sector, setting yourself up for success.
Figure out what you can teach yourself–and where you might need some help
Depending on where you are in your artificial intelligence journey, you might be able to begin by teaching yourself some of the basic concepts related to AI or mathematics. There are tons of free resources online and this is definitely a great start, but you will probably need a bit of guidance later on to reach a more advanced level where you can work professionally with these tools.
Recognizing your limits is an important part of your AI journey and make sure you ask for help when needed so that you can be as successful as possible.
Consider AI courses
Learning from professionals is undoubtedly the best way to learn and if you choose to take an AI course, you’ll also benefit from structured courses that guide you through the learning process and personalized assistance as needed. Many courses also offer memberships to premium AI tools which can help you reach a whole new level in your AI journey.
At Ironhack, we’ve recognized the need for detailed AI instruction for professionals looking to use AI to take their career to the next level and that’s why we’re launching AI School, the first school dedicated specifically to AI skills for working professionals.
Choose from the following courses and let your AI skills reach new heights:
No matter where you are in your professional journey and how familiar you are with AI, there’s a course for you. Take a look and choose the one that best matches your career goals.
We can’t wait to see you in class.
