# What are the in-demand jobs of the AI era?

Date: 2023-12-10 · Author: Robert Scales · https://guidetoartificialintelligence.com/en/learn/demand-jobs-ai-era/

**Answer:** Employers expect the fastest growth in roles built on technology and data, led by AI and machine learning specialists, followed by sustainability specialists, business intelligence analysts and information security analysts. You don't have to become an engineer to benefit: most people can move toward these roles by adding data, AI-tool and security skills to the work they already know.

The clearest picture of where hiring is heading comes from asking employers directly. The World Economic Forum's *Future of Jobs Report 2023* surveyed 803 companies, together employing more than 11 million people in 45 economies, about their plans through 2027. Their answer is consistent: the roles growing fastest, compared with their size today, are driven by technology, data and the shift to cleaner energy. First on the list are specialists in AI and machine learning. Next come sustainability specialists, then analysts in business intelligence and in information security. Engineers who work on renewable energy and solar systems are rising quickly as well.

*A Beginner's Guide to ChatGPT* draws a similar map: AI and machine learning engineers, data scientists and analysts, cybersecurity analysts, renewable energy technicians, digital marketers and content creators, and the caring professions in health care and mental health, where an aging population and growing awareness of mental health keep demand high.

## What these jobs have in common

Look past the job titles and three skill families keep appearing:

- **Working with data.** Collecting it, cleaning it, analyzing it and explaining what it means. This is the core of business intelligence, data science and much of AI work.
- **Directing and checking AI tools.** Knowing what a model can do, writing clear instructions, and reviewing the output with judgment. Employers in the WEF survey rank training workers to use AI and big data third among their training priorities.
- **Protecting systems and people.** As more of every business runs on software, security and responsible use become part of many jobs, not just specialist ones.

Around those technical skills, employers say the most important abilities are analytical thinking and creative thinking, with curiosity, lifelong learning and resilience close behind. That is good news for career changers: those are human skills you build in any job.

## Three worked learning paths

The paths below are examples to adapt, not formulas. Each one starts from where the person is and adds the shortest useful step.

**Profile 1: the non-technical professional** (say, an office coordinator or a retail manager)

| Step | What to learn | How to prove it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Use ChatGPT daily on real tasks: summaries, drafts, schedules | A folder of before-and-after examples |
| 2 | Spreadsheet basics: formulas, pivot tables, simple charts | One report you automated or improved |
| 3 | An introduction to data literacy or digital marketing | A short certificate from an online course |
| Target roles | Operations or marketing roles that use AI tools; later, junior analyst | |

**Profile 2: the analyst** (financial, marketing or operations)

| Step | What to learn | How to prove it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SQL and a business intelligence dashboard tool | A dashboard built on public data |
| 2 | Python for data analysis, with ChatGPT as a coding tutor | A cleaned dataset and a written finding |
| 3 | Basic statistics and an introduction to machine learning | A small prediction project, explained in plain words |
| Target roles | Business intelligence analyst, data analyst, analytics lead | |

**Profile 3: the developer**

| Step | What to learn | How to prove it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calling a language model API and writing prompts in code | A small app that summarizes or classifies text |
| 2 | Building on models: retrieval from documents, tools, evaluation | A project that answers questions from your own files |
| 3 | Security and responsible-AI basics for these systems | A short write-up of the risks in your project and how you handled them |
| Target roles | AI or machine learning engineer, AI application developer | |

For the developer path, short and practical courses are a good first step. DeepLearning.AI, for example, offers one-hour courses such as *ChatGPT Prompt Engineering for Developers* and *LangChain for LLM Application Development*, which assume basic Python. The book also lists the broader options: online course platforms, bootcamps for intensive retraining, college programs that are updating their curricula, and workshops where you learn from practitioners and meet people in the field.

> **Try it:** Pick the profile closest to you and write down step 1 as a specific task you can finish in two weeks. Then ask ChatGPT: "I am a [your job] with these skills: [list]. Turn step 1 into a daily 30-minute study plan for 14 days, with one small deliverable at the end."

## Which learning path fits you?

Start from your current work, not from the most glamorous job title. Ask yourself three questions. What do you already do that involves data, writing or problem-solving? How much time can you study each week, honestly? And do you enjoy building things, explaining things, or organizing things? Builders tend to suit the developer path, explainers the analyst path, and organizers often do best by adding AI and data skills to the job they already have.

If you are unsure, begin with Profile 1 for a month. Using AI tools every day on real work is useful for every path, and it will show you quickly whether you enjoy the technical side. Many people discover that a role close to their current one, with stronger data and AI skills, is a better move than a complete restart.

Whatever you choose, keep proof of your work. A small portfolio of projects, each with a sentence on the problem and the result, tells an employer more than a list of courses. And ask people already doing the job you want what they actually spend their days on; their answers will refine your path better than any report.

## Sources

- The Future of Jobs Report 2023 (Digest): https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-future-of-jobs-report-2023/digest/
- A Beginner's Guide to ChatGPT: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZRRPXZW
- Short Courses | Learn Generative AI from DeepLearning.AI: https://www.deeplearning.ai/short-courses/