Latest Work Distraction: Threads!
Meta won the week just yesterday by dropping their anticipated Twitter killer app: Threads. And while most of us are exhausted by social media, FOMO is real, and the Threads app easily and seamlessly connected your Instagram account and you were off and running to meme heaven on Threads.
This isn't a pros/cons article about Threads, (though major con: it's not accessible as outlined by Disability Advocate Catarina Rivera) but me being into careers and jobs immediately wondered if more jobs had been posted or created in support of Threads app and AI work at Meta f/k/a Facebook. Here's what I found of interest:
Leadership role as an AI Research Scientist in Paris
Technical Program Manager for AI and Machine Learning at Meta HQ (Menlo Park, California)
Machine Learning Engineer for Risk in Tel Aviv or London
And that's just a quick sample. Here to remind you that AI is global, fast, and coming to a screen near you! (Thought technically, already here.)
If you're thinking about ways you can add AI to your skill set or resume here is some guidance:
Companies are jumping quickly on AI to use in their processes, and they are definitely looking at ways to cut costs and even hire employees to work on AI language learning. AI is an incredibly valuable skill to learn, practice and include as a part of your skill set on your resume. The more skilled you are at being a Prompt Engineer, the more valuable you can become.
Prompt Engineering is the ability to create and optimize prompts that are specific and clear enough to get the desired output from an AI language model, while also being general or simple enough to capture a range of relevant information. This is truly a whole new type of job that gets to the heart of how to use and implement AI results. It's simple enough to learn, and doesn't require a degree in computer science, or the ability to code. So getting in now on the cutting edge of this skill is critical for many types of employees.
In addition, get specific on how you are using AI for your role. Beyond just ChatGPT there are a variety of AI based tools out there that assist with:
Video
Photography
Graphics
Communication
Project Management
And AI is embedded in everyday tools we are already using:
We've been training Google Search forever!
Chat bots on every customer service 800 number
Word processing software, think Microsoft Word
Presentation software like Canva and PowerPoint
Grammar check software such as Grammerly
Virtual assistants like Siri, Alexa and Google Home
How you can better utilize or practice with these everyday tools to get better at AI usage in your career?
Adding AI skills to your resume may show you have these OTHER skills as well that I like to call POWER SKILLS vs soft skills and are always in demand in the workplace:
research capabilities
ability to embrace change and get on board with it
continuous learning (LinkedIn Learning has several courses on AI you can take and get a certification in!)
ability to teach / facilitate these skills to others. Become the SME (subject matter expert!)
I've frequently told my clients: AI won't replace you. People who don't use AI will be replaced. If you don't dive in to understand AI, it can seem intimidating. But letting fear and lack of knowledge doesn't work to your advantage or build your resume.
Let me know in the comments how you are embracing and using AI in your role! What surprises have you had? What works for you? What doesn't?