With the rapid pace of artificial intelligence (AI) news, it’s no surprise that six in ten Americans believe AI will significantly impact the labor force.
According to a report published by the U.S. White House, AI has the potential to increase productivity, efficiency, and innovation. Likewise, it can potentially displace workers who need help adapting to AI tools and skill sets.
An OpenAI study revealed the types of occupations which could be most affected by large language models (LLMs). Mathematicians, analysts, researchers, and writers could utilize GPT to reduce the time spent on tasks.
AI alone may not take most jobs. But the people who utilize AI in the right way will be the ones to take them as others become unable to meet new quotas and productivity expectations.
Reskilling Employees To Fill AI-Roles
A McKinsey survey of organizations worldwide found that almost half reskill internal resources to fill AI-related roles in addition to sourcing talent from tech companies and universities.
Organizations that chose to reskill employees used various training paths, including self-paced online courses and certifications.
It makes sense, considering employees know what their organization needs to succeed. AI allows employees willing to learn to boost their productivity and creative output to become valuable assets to their organization.
Continued Layoffs In Tech
Of course, not all companies will retrain employees for new opportunities. We’ve seen tech companies lay off hundreds to thousands of employees since the start of 2023. And the layoffs are not over yet.
Meta recently began another round of layoffs in its quest for efficiency.
Slow business growth and the need to focus on AI led to the layoff of 500 Dropbox employees. Dropbox CEO Drew Houston explained:
“In an ideal world, we’d simply shift people from one team to another. And we’ve done that wherever possible. However, our next stage of growth requires a different mix of skill sets, particularly in AI and early-stage product development. We’ve been bringing in great talent in these areas over the last couple [of] years, and we’ll need even more.”
According to Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) reports across the United States, many large companies in tech and beyond are planning more layoffs. U.S. employees can search Google for WARN notices in their employer’s state.
Increasing Jobs Listings Seek Talent With AI Skills
For those seeking a job in tech, Stanford revealed that the U.S., Canada, and Spain have the highest percentage of AI job postings in its AI Index Report.
John Mueller offered advice for those in search of a job in tech: “…my recommendation would be to take the time to get your skills & knowledge up to a high level, and then seriously look into a job once things start to pick up again.”
Comprehensive AI Courses To Enhance Your Skillset
Here are AI and machine learning online courses and certifications from tech companies and universities to work into your resume.
LinkedIn AI And Machine Courses
LinkedIn Learning made 100 AI and machine learning courses free until June 15, 2023. Topics covered include generative AI, AI and machine learning foundations, responsible AI, advanced AI, and applied AI.
IBM AI Foundations For Everyone Specialization
This introductory course on AI is designed for everyone, including those without a technical or programming background.
The specialization consists of three courses on AI uses and applications, using IBM Watson, and building AI chatbots.
IBM also offers AI Foundations for Business Specialization and professional certifications for applied AI, AI engineering, and machine learning.
Some courses are offered through Coursera. Coursera offers a seven-day free trial, after which it is $39 monthly to continue a single course.
If you find additional courses on Coursera, you can subscribe to the premium service that includes unlimited access to thousands of courses and certifications for $59 monthly.
Courses that offer certification or college credit may have additional prerequisites, requirements, and fees.
Google Machine Learning Crash Course
If you want a quick dive into the basics of machine learning, try this free Machine Learning Crash Course. It includes video lessons, case studies, and hands-on practice with TensorFlow APIs, an open-source platform for developing and training machine learning models.
Google AI offers more courses on various aspects of machine learning.
If you want to pursue a career as a data scientist or machine learning engineer, Google Cloud offers courses for a Professional Machine Learning Engineer Certification.
Google Advanced Data Analytics Professional Certificate
Recently introduced on The Keyword blog, the Google Advanced Data Analytics Professional Certificate is a self-paced course that prepares data analysts and scientists to use regression and machine learning models to collect and analyze data.
It could require approximately ten hours a week for three to six months to complete the course and earn a shareable certificate.
Microsoft Azure Data And AI Certifications
Microsoft offers several certifications for data analysts, developers, and engineers using AI and Microsoft Azure.
They also offer an Autonomous AI for Industry Specialization with the University of Washington.
Arizona State University MasterTrack® Certificate In AI & Machine Learning
If you already have a bachelor’s degree, you can complete three courses within an estimated six to nine months to earn a certificate in AI and machine learning.
You can choose from four courses on statistical machine learning, artificial intelligence, knowledge representation and reasoning, and an intro to deep learning.
The certificate program is $4,500 total or $1,500 per course.
If you meet specific ASU requirements, these credits will apply to an online Master of Computer Science program.
Stanford Artificial Intelligence Professional Program
Stanford’s AI Professional Program allows working professionals to dive into graduate-level AI and machine learning courses.
The program consists of seven courses. Each course costs $1,750 and takes 10 – 15 hours weekly for ten weeks.
Continuing Education
With the rapid developments in AI and machine learning, anyone interested in the field should stay current with the latest AI and machine learning news relevant to their industry.
Featured image: Chay_Tee/Shutterstock
