Image by Editor | ChatGPT
# Introduction
For a young person coming out of high school or college, or even for parents of young children, it can be quite overwhelming to choose a career. For an older professional trying to transition into the AI landscape, it can be even worse. Adding AI on top of that can make it even more frustrating. Many are worried that they will lose their jobs to AI, and they are within their rights to have these thoughts. However, rather than fighting the movement of AI, why not figure out ways to work with it?
At the 8th FII Summit panel discussion, Prem Akkaraju, CEO of Stability AI, discussed three important lessons he would give to young people about the next steps they should be making in their academic or professional careers.
# Lesson 1: Don’t Waste Your Time Learning How to Code
This may be a controversial one, as the AI market at the moment is in need of talent to meet soaring demands. However, if you’re already on your journey, I am not saying to drop your tools.
This point made by Akkaraju was solely aimed at people starting their careers or education right now. He says that the new coding language will be English. As it is already a universal language, more and more organizations will release AI tools in English to cater to the majority. Therefore, that should be your priority to segue into learning everything you can about AI.
However, Richard Socher, CEO & Founder of you.com and Co-Founder & Managing Director of AIX Ventures, disagrees with this and says that learning how to code will allow you to truly understand the story behind AI. It becomes less like magic and more like something you can then take and modify to build a career or an organization.
# Lesson 2: Learn About AI and AI Modalities
The best way to stay ahead of the curve is by learning everything you possibly can. Akkaraju urges young people to learn everything about AI as fast as possible, from its history and modalities to its potential and limitations.
Socher states that in the coming five to ten years, there will be more multi-modal models, conversations over images, as well as video, sound, programming enhancements, and more. If you’re looking to enter the AI space, you do not have to learn all of them and overcrowd your brain; however, do not fixate on and limit yourself to just one. The best approach is to gain a general knowledge of all of them and, based on your career goals and passion, choose one that interests you and dive deep into it.
# Lesson 3: Your Passion + AI
AI will surround us and will be implemented in every sector. Therefore, once you have learned about AI and its potential, you should start thinking about how this aligns with your passion. For example, if you’re a fine arts artist, you should be looking into content generation and its future, and use this to figure out ways you can monetize and fulfill your passion.
Applying your computer science and AI knowledge to your passion will allow you to reach the higher limits of AI intelligence and become a competitor in the market.
Dr. Kai-Fu Lee, Chairman & CEO of Sinovation Ventures and 01.AI, says that your passion is what’s going to help you choose your next step. If you want to be the best programmer out there and that is what drives you, then learn how to code and develop your career based on these technical skills. However, if you are going into a programmer career based on the salary, then you’re better off forgetting how to code, learning everything you can about AI, and building something based on AI and your passion.
# Wrapping Up
These are three short and sweet lessons that are very important for the younger generation or for anybody who is looking to get into the AI industry. Remember, you don’t have to start from the foundations of learning how to code to be part of the sector, but there is also no harm in doing so.
Nisha Arya is a data scientist, freelance technical writer, and an editor and community manager for KDnuggets. She is particularly interested in providing data science career advice or tutorials and theory-based knowledge around data science. Nisha covers a wide range of topics and wishes to explore the different ways artificial intelligence can benefit the longevity of human life. A keen learner, Nisha seeks to broaden her tech knowledge and writing skills, while helping guide others.
