As we look to 2024, it’s hard not to talk about, even begin to explore how Generative AI can and will impact us. For those of you that have yet to do any investigating, I’d like to share a few thoughts on how and why you might want to. First, AI, a subset of Artificial Intelligence, it will not replace jobs; however, it will transform them. Many tech roles will become AI-assisted, where professionals collaborate with AI systems to enhance their capabilities, making tasks more efficient and allowing workers to focus on pertinent responsibilities.
Upskilling is key to fully leveraging the advantages of generative AI and securing a thriving career in the tech industry. Continuous learning and adaptation to new technologies will be the cornerstone of professional growth. Fortunately, various resources, including online courses, workshops, and certification programs are readily available to help tech professionals stay ahead of the curve. For example, if you are Project Manager, here is a free AI course that offers a window into how you can leverage the power of this technology; bonus, it will also earn you 5 PDU’s! If you are a Software Engineer, here are some resources provided by IBM that offers a broad overview of the potential benefits in AI. And if nothing else, I suggest any/all of you take the opportunity to understand how to write a good prompt. Regardless, if you are using ChatGPT or Bard asking the AI good questions will help achieve better outputs and results. Prompting is also a skill that you can build by leveraging classes from both IBM and AWS that have a free Generative AI: Prompt Engineering Basics courses.
Instead of fearing the rise of generative AI, let's embrace it as a powerful tool that can revolutionize the tech industry. By understanding its potential and actively participating in upskilling initiatives you can be at the forefront of new, exciting opportunities that AI brings to the table. Generative AI is not a job thief; it's a collaborative partner in innovation, and with the right mindset and commitment to continuous learning, the technology industry can flourish in this era of AI advancement.
Sonny recently had the opportunity to chat a bit about this with the CEO of rvatech, Nick Serfas, and the CEO of Shockoe, Alex Otanez, on their TechxDesign podcast. Take a listen: Biggest Trends of 2023
Oh and by the way, the image you see at the top of this page was created by an AI image generator! How cool is that!