Thinking of a Career in AI? Here’s All You Need to Know

If you haven’t read it already, then look at this article, written by a robot about how they come in peace. It will give you a sense of where we’re heading. And no, it’s not about how machines will rule the world (they will, but that’s another point). It’s about how machines will be our companions, ones we will need to learn to work with, not fear.

Like we said, just read it.

The question, however, on everyone’s mind is – how will AI affect our lives? It’s something we follow closely – because it will have a direct impact on the future if work and the skills we’ll need going forward.

Here’s what we’ll look at in this article.

• What is AI?
• Which Industries are using it?
• What are the specific jobs in AI?
• Top AI companies out there
• What are the educational requirements for careers in AI?
• Top universities for AI to help you get started

The term ‘Artificial Intelligence’ was defined by John McCarthy, widely recognized as the father of Artificial Intelligence, in 1956 as ‘the science and engineering of making intelligent machines

Simply put, AI is development of computer systems to perform intelligent task/s that involves decision making, solving complex problems, and more based on predestined rules, search algorithms and analysis.

AI is being used in many applications across a variety of industries, from robot-assisted surgery to a self-driving car. Here’s a list of few of the industries that are using AI, and how:

1. Healthcare: AI has helped automate process in healthcare and have simplified the lives of patients, doctors and hospital administrations. It is used for-

• Robotics in surgery
• Digital consultation
• Medical Data maintenance
• Efficient diagnosis
• Drug development

2. Education: Covid19 has forced the education sector to innovate on its feet – tech-based advancements and online-teaching have become the order of the day. Aside that, here are the various ways AI has influenced education:

• Robotic student tutor/s
• Parent-teacher conferencing
• Personalised learning
• Automated admin task
• Global learning

3. Marketing: From reaching the right audience to creating the right product, AI has been instrumental in marketing. Ways AI is used in marketing includes-

• Ad creation and management
• Audience targeting
• Predict purchasing patterns
• Product recommendations
• Enhance customer experience

4. e-Commerce: From understanding customers to generating new leads, the various uses of AI in e-commerce are:

• Inventory analysis
• Sales forecast
• Customer assistance
• Personalised user experience
• Identify, retarget customers
• Virtual assistants

5. Financial market: One AI’s finest competencies lie in financial matters. Here are some areas to watch out for:

• Risk assessment
• Decision making
• Fraud detection and management
• Financial advisory services
• High intelligence trading
• Finance management

6. Agriculture: AI boosts productivity and efficiency. This is why AI in agriculture has been of immense help to farmers, including:

• Efficient production, harvest and sales
• Improves crop production
• Weather forecasting
• Pest/disease identification
• Crop management practices
• Soil health management

A job in AI can be of two nature, i.e. academic and professional. AI in academic careers mostly focuses on research or PhDs which are crucial in R&D departments. Whereas, AI in professional careers deals with vertically different industry careers.

To look at AI jobs broadly, here are numerous job options you can take up:

• Data Scientist
• Big Data Engineer
• Machine Learning Engineer
• Machine Learning Researcher
• Robotics Engineer
• Computational Linguist
• AI Architect
• Videogame programmer
• Software Engineer
• Business Intelligence Developer
• Algorithm Specialist
• Surgical technicians (for robotic tools)
• Full Stack Developer
• Product Manager
• Front-end Developer

Some of the top global AI companies are:

• Amazon
• Apple
• Google
• Facebook
• IBM
• Intel
• Microsoft
• Salesforce

The entry level for AI related professions require at least a bachelor’s degree. For higher position (supervision, leadership, administrative roles), a master’s degree and/or a doctoral degree is required with solid programming fundamentals.

Aside the chosen subject area, here are the typical coursework included in the study of AI:

• Mathematics including statistics, calculus, algebra, probability, logic and algorithms
• Computer Science, programming language and coding (like C++, Python, Perl etc)
• Physics, Engineering and robotics
• Cognitive science theory

In addition to these, you can also opt for certificate programs in AI.

According to LADDERS, there are five key skills and capabilities that are required from an AI professional (regardless of their individual roles),

With AI and Machine Learning increasingly gaining importance, universities across the globe are offering AI and Machine Learning programs. Keeping in mind that AI is an interdisciplinary field where graduates from various majors (Computer Science, Information Technology, Finance, Mathematics and Statistics, and Economics) can pursue their masters in AI and machine learning, here is a look at few of the globally ranked universities offering a master degree in AI and Machine Learning.

AI was already on its way. The pandemic, we’ve said before, only accelerated it. It’s not about the future anymore – AI is here and will affect every aspect of our lives. It’ll serve us well to accept and prepare for the new world. As for skills, if we want o remain relevant in the workplace, we’ll have to recalibrate our skills accordingly.