No matter what your role in tech, learning the basics of generative A.I. could impact your job opportunities going forward. Workers across the economy are rushing to adopt this technology as fast as possible.
Online learning platform Udemy saw a 5,226 percent increase in ChatGPT-related learning in the first quarter of 2023, and generalized A.I.-related skills learning on Udemy Business has risen by 60 percent year-over-year, according to its 2024 Learning & Skills Trend Report. “Employees must have the skills required to leverage and work with this new technology effectively,” the report added.
Udemy cites a McKinsey report stating that 30 percent of work hours across the U.S. economy could be automated by 2030, while a PricewaterhouseCoopers analysis concludes that A.I., automation and robotics could collectively contribute $15 trillion to global GDP by that same year.
With that rise in automation, there’s also the possibility that generative A.I. could unlock opportunities for tech pros (and other workers) to have more than one job, according to a recent study by Morgan Stanley (hat tip to Business Insider for the breakdown). “The advent of cheap or free and rapidly democratized access to generative A.I. tools,” that paper concluded, could generate as much as $83 billion of the $400 billion in income expected from multiple jobs by the end of the decade.
For software engineers and others who build software, pay attention to how generative A.I. will increasingly automate code creation and review. In theory, that kind of automation will free up engineers and developers to focus their time and energy on the more creative aspects of their jobs, such as coming up with new features. It may also enable a new generation of “citizen developers” to build apps with a minimum level of programming knowledge, thanks to low- and no-code platforms.
If you’re interested in working more deeply with A.I., another report from McKinsey, Technology Trends Outlook 2023, suggests you master the following concepts:
Yes, A.I. may eliminate some jobs—but it could also create far more, including ones with high six-figure or even seven-figure salaries.
