One of the Hottest AI Skills Is Not What You Think

Every day there's a new headline or debate about whether AI is going to change, well, everything. It’s head-spinning, especially when you’re trying to figure out what it all means for your career. Are your skills still relevant? Is the job market about to get turned upside down?

The short answer is yes, things are changing. But here's the better news: You’re not just a passenger on this ride. You’re in the driver’s seat. The people who know how to work with AI are the ones who will succeed.  

This newsletter is all about AI skills — for entry-level workers, designers, and everyone else. We’ll look at how the landscape is changing for young workers and experienced designers, a quick way to skill up for the future, and the one skill everyone needs to develop now. 

Let's dive in.

One of the hottest AI skills? Managing human-AI collaboration 

It’s become a common refrain: The real magic of AI happens when people and AI work together to achieve more than either could alone. The World Economic Forum says that collaboration between humans and AI could generate up to $15.7 trillion in economic value by 2030, with growth coming from amplifying — not replacing — human capabilities. What exactly is human-AI collaboration, what are the benefits, and how can you foster it and measure its effectiveness? We break it all down here.

AI and entry-level jobs: It’s a new world 

What happens when the grunt work associated with most entry-level jobs is increasingly automated by AI? There are two schools of thought. One says AI will wipe out half of white-collar entry-level jobs within five years; the other says execs will hire more entry-level workers. Either way, entry-level work is being disrupted. The good news? Colleges are preparing students for an AI future with new curricula and job-placement services, and young workers can still get their foot in the door — ironically, with the help of AI. 

How to gain AI smarts in 6 hours 

Learning new AI skills doesn’t have to be a slog. In fact, it can be easy and, dare we say, fun. We’ve compiled a list of free learning modules (“Trails” in Salesforce-speak) that cover foundational skills, generative AI tools, how to use AI across departments, and more.

You have more AI design skills than you think 

Designers, feeling a little nervous about AI? Worried you'll be swapping your design tools for a career pivot? Don't fret. Your superpowers are more valuable than ever. As AI agents become your new digital teammates, they’ll need your human-centered design chops to produce anything truly valuable. Your ability to understand user behavior and shape intuitive experiences is precisely what's needed to guide AI toward building products that feel natural. 

This newsletter was curated by Lisa DiCarlo Lee, Contributing Editor at Salesforce.