You’ve heard about how cool artificial intelligence is; you’ve played around with Google Bard or ChatGPT to ask for jokes, answers to deep questions, or helpful advice when it comes to your latest problem. And while these are completely legitimate (and fun!) uses of artificial intelligence tools, and ones that have brought the power of artificial intelligence to everyone’s fingertips, the true power of artificial intelligence is unmatched.
The truth is artificial intelligence can do a lot, and companies worldwide are looking to take advantage of everything it has to offer, transforming the way they work and perform. But it’s a recent tool with lots of unknowns surrounding it and finding skilled and experienced artificial intelligence professionals has proven to be quite the challenge for hiring managers.
This is where bootcamps come into play–they’re intensive and short-term courses designed to prepare students for the workforce and this is exactly what employers looking to fill artificial intelligence positions need. Waiting for university graduates to spend four years in class and only then being ready to join the workforce means that the technologies with which they’re familiar will be outdated and there will be a whole new group of things they need to know–and don’t.
As employers move increasingly closer to relying on bootcamps for their next generation of tech professionals, the artificial intelligence field will be no exception. And that’s why we’ve created this article–to help you realize the importance that bootcamps will play in the field of artificial intelligence and, of course, how to use a bootcamp in artificial intelligence to succeed in the field.
But before we dive right into artificial intelligence bootcamps, let’s review the growing field of artificial intelligence and why it’s so promising right now.
Why is Artificial Intelligence Important?
Sure, ChatGPT is fun. And asking for AI-generated images of funny situations is a great way to entertain yourself or make a cool meme to share with friends. But the power of artificial intelligence goes far beyond this and is set to be a truly transformative tool for the vast majority of businesses. This is why:
Artificial intelligence improves efficiency: through the automation of tedious or complex tasks, AI tools can improve the overall corporate efficiency, freeing up human time for more intense tasks.
Artificial intelligence improves the decision making process: due to its ability to make predictions or identify trends, AI tools improve overall decisions, contributing to a better business.
Artificial intelligence is more inclusive: thanks to automation and its ability to assist workers with everyday tasks, AI tools expand workplace inclusivity and accessibility.
The truth is that the benefits of artificial intelligence are numerous and it would take us a while to summarize every single one. But even just with these three, you can see how employing an artificial intelligence tool at work could transform the day-to-day of most employees. And in case you need real life examples, however, we’ve collected some right here.
Real life examples of artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is everywhere, even where we least expect it. To fully understand the opportunities that artificial intelligence professionals could have, we’ve summed up some of the most common daily examples of artificial intelligence right here.
Maps
Ever wondered how your phone knows the best route to suggest or exactly where delays on public transportation are? Well, that’s artificial intelligence working hard behind the scenes together with the original satellite-based GPS technology to give you real-time and updated information. Over time, the technology used for maps and navigation has evolved to incorporate machine learning algorithms that can remember previous patterns in traffic, providing data-backed route suggestions and recommendations to you.
Autocorrect
It may seem like your computer or phone is simply reading your mind when it suggests the next word in your sentence, but it’s actually artificial intelligence! This technology uses machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing to properly identify patterns in language, suggest alternatives, and correct issues.
Just like you learn to talk and write at a young age, these tools are taught grammar/spelling rules and trained to identify patterns, helping them make the right suggestions for you.
Recommendations
You may have discovered your favorite show because of a recommendation from Netflix or Hulu and spoiler alert: it’s not magic! Algorithms for searches and recommendations use artificial intelligence technology to collect data throughout your online activity, seeing what interests you and what doesn’t to make smart recommendations. Through storing the data with machine and deep learning, the tool can predict what you’ll like or return to and continue using this data to make even better recommendations.
Fraud detection
As you can probably tell from our other examples, one of the most powerful abilities of artificial intelligence is that of recognizing patterns and trends in large amounts of data that would simply be too much to process for a human. And one of the areas that has benefitted the most from this is finance and banking; thanks to artificial intelligence tools, banks can now flag potentially fraudulent activity by looking at normal activity and raising alerts when something seems to be out of the norm.
Just like with the advantages of using artificial intelligence, we could go on and on–in fact, we've written entire posts about examples of artificial intelligence! But instead, we’d like to focus on artificial intelligence bootcamps and why we can expect to see a rise in both offerings and interest in coming years.
Artificial Intelligence Bootcamps
Bootcamps have quickly gained traction in the tech world, with employers and hiring managers welcoming bootcamp graduates with open arms. Why? Because bootcamps:
Teach the latest technologies in the tech world: because bootcamps are held over the course of just a few months (or even less!), they boast an updated syllabus and topics that are relevant to the tech industry in that exact moment, instead of four years prior. Employers can rest easy knowing their new hires are up-to-date with technologies in their chosen field, something university graduates don’t always have.
Break down barriers in tech: the tech sector is becoming a more inclusive place, but it hasn’t always been that way, due to barriers to entry that previously existed (and still do!), such as gender bias or requirements to have an expensive four-year university degree or live in a big city. Bootcamps bring more and more diverse groups into tech, benefiting the entire industry.
Get students job-ready in just a few weeks: gone are the days of just a few tools to master; the tech sector is releasing new updates or products practically constantly and hiring managers want candidates with experience in various new tools. They want students that are ready to work and have shown a passion for learning–and no one displays that better than career changers.
From the student’s perspective, bootcamps are attractive options because they:
Are flexible: four year degrees are not only incredibly expensive, but also take up a lot of time and might even require you to move cities. Bootcamps are known for their flexibility and offer options so that you’re able to find the best combination for you: remote or in person, part or full time.
Provide job hunting assistance: taking a bootcamp to land a new job is only useful if you have the resources you need to land a job quickly after graduation; bootcamps are great ways to change careers, but you need to have the support to do it well. Luckily for you, most bootcamps offer career guidance, interview prep, and networking events to support you as you switch careers.
Are accessible: one of the biggest barriers to entering the tech industry used to be requirements such as university degrees, geographical restraints, and more. However, bootcamps are open to absolutely anyone and offer financing options and flexible class schedules to ensure that everyone has a chance to enter the tech world.
Getting into artificial intelligence with a bootcamp
Choosing artificial intelligence as your tech field is a great option; the job opportunities are practically endless and we can expect to see even more improvements in coming years. And bootcamps focusing on artificial intelligence will gain even more traction as more and more tools are released, creating lots of job opportunities.
If you’re interested in artificial intelligence and are trying to get noticed by potential employers, a bootcamp is a great place to start. In just a few months, you’ll be ready to apply for artificial intelligence jobs and bring what you’ve learned in the bootcamp to the workforce, helping push and transform the field.
Ironhack’s Data Analytics Bootcamp was recently revamped to include artificial intelligence technologies such as ChatGPT in its syllabus, with the goal of providing students with the most up-to-date and in-demand knowledge so that they’re job-ready immediately after completing the course.
If you’re interested in diving right into everything artificial intelligence has to offer, there’s no better place than Ironhack. We provide lots of options, from in-person to remote courses and part and full time bootcamps, in addition to thorough career support and financing options. Artificial intelligence is an incredible career choice–but don’t wait any longer!
