Whether you have a job in tech or happen to be a bit tech-savvy, the chances that you’ve heard of artificial intelligence (AI) are very high. You might have even tried using it a little bit, likely with a varying degree of success. Fortunately, you are not the only one. Around 81% of IT professionals believe that they can utilize AI, but it is estimated that only 12% of them can properly and effectively handle AI prompt engineering. Statistically, 60% of IT decision-makers claim AI is their biggest skill gap, and as many as 70% of global workers need to upgrade their AI skills.

Despite this lack of AI proficiency, prompt engineers are in high demand. 2 in every 3 leaders wouldn’t even hire someone without AI skills. This discrepancy accounts for a 50% hiring gap between AI job roles. So what kind of skills do IT professionals need to get up to speed with AI?

Many modern AIs utilize chain-of-thought responses. Essentially, this means they answer in intermediate steps, rather than providing a conclusion and no context as to how it arrived there. Another popular technique is generated knowledge prompting, which involves pulling knowledge from previous answers to better answer future questions. In conjunction with other techniques, least to most prompting is used. This works by giving the AI gradual assistance to force the AI to improve itself rather than giving it all the answers.

However, while these techniques are effective, they work primarily or exclusively for text-based AI. For image and video generation AI, you can use textual inversion. This works by providing a set of learning images for an AI and having it generate something similar to the training set. You can also use negative prompts, which work by telling the AI which aspect of an image you wish to exclude in the following image generations.

With this wide breadth of AI structures and techniques, it’s no wonder why 72% of IT leaders believe AI skill gaps must be urgently addressed. Fortunately, the rise of AI has led to the rise of online AI courses. With YU Global, for example, a beginner can start their AI journey with ‘Intro to AI’ to start laying down the fundamentals. However, there are also courses for more seasoned AI prompt engineers. They have ‘Advanced Prompt Engineering’ as well as ‘AI Strategies for Business & Organizational Leaders. ’

Best of all, these AI educators allow you to hone in on a specific topic and learn how AI can revolutionize it. Currently, AI for Financial Management, Marketing, and Microsoft Excel, meaning you can get you or your business ahead on implementing AI to your corporate world. Regardless of the industry you’re in, it’s likely AI can make your life easier and more convenient. Best of all, you can learn AI in as soon as 6 to 8 weeks. If you want to begin learning and continually educate yourself, AI course providers like YU Global are the best way to make sure you learn as efficiently as possible.