Reasons to Learn AI Skills

With companies like OpenAI making huge AI funding moves, we need a stronger focus, even policies, on AI literacy and job creation. OpenAI raised $6.6 billion. Microsoft and BlackRock plan to invest up to $100 billion in AI data centers and infrastructure. In 2024 alone, 39 US AI startups each raised over $100 million. These funds will advance AI and help people get ready to work with it. Recently, California Governor Newsom vetoed an AI safety bill to avoid slowing down innovation with regulations. But to keep AI moving forward, we should allocate more for AI education, training, and job creation. While investments in these areas are growing, they’re still much smaller than the massive budgets for AI tech and infrastructure. Only 15% of workers say they’re trained to use AI effectively. Yet, job descriptions requiring AI skills have tripled this year. Investing in AI learning will drive innovation, ensure safety, and prepare workers for the future, so people aren’t left behind. For example, a worker trained in AI could go from fearing job loss to leading innovation at their company. Let’s discuss programs and policies that dedicate AI funding for literacy and job creation. Here’s why it’s important: ► As early as 2030, AI could create 20 million to 50 million new jobs globally (McKinsey), but only if people have the skills to fill them. ► Major companies like Ikea, JPMorgan, and WPP are already training employees in AI because it’s critical for growth. ► It ensures AI benefits everyone, not just a select few. ► It keeps our economy competitive. 58% of workers expect their skills to change due to AI in the next five years. Investing in both AI tech and people isn’t a trade-off. It’s a strategy for progress. We also need thoughtful planning, clear guidelines, and accountability. What do you think? How can we ensure AI funding supports workers too? #JobCreation #AIEducation #AIRegulation GrowthPath Partners

It's only January, and the job market is brutal.   At the end of the day, the only thing we can control is our own actions. From what I'm seeing in job postings and hiring conversations, 2026 needs to be the year you upskill in AI. The reason is simple: AI isn't a "nice-to-have" anymore. Employers are starting to treat AI fluency as a baseline requirement, and the pace of change isn't slowing down.   The World Economic Forum reports that employers expect 39% of workers' core skills to change by 2030. LinkedIn reports that job listings mentioning AI literacy as a skill rose more than six times year over year.   This isn't about becoming an engineer overnight. It's about learning how to: - Turn a messy problem into a clear prompt and something you can actually use - Verify results instead of blindly trusting them - Use AI to draft, summarize, analyze, and automate the repetitive stuff - Understand the boundaries: privacy, security, bias, copyright, and when to disclose you used it   Here's a practical approach that actually sticks: - Pick one weekly task (emails, proposals, research, reporting, curriculum, SOPs). - Build a simple AI workflow for getting drafts and structure in place. - Add a verification step (check sources, cross-check facts, do a second review). - Save your best prompts and templates so you can reuse them. - Repeat with one new task each month.   If you're hiring: look for candidates who can show you disciplined AI usage and good judgment, not just "AI enthusiasm."   If you're job searching: think of AI as a way to multiply your output and prove you can adapt. #AIUpskilling #AI #GenerativeAI #FutureOfWork #WorkforceDevelopment #Upskilling #Reskilling #CareerDevelopment #JobSearch #Hiring #TalentDevelopment #DigitalTransformation Sources: - World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs Report 2025 (skills outlook, 39% core skills shift by 2030) - https://lnkd.in/eU4Kmcag   - NIST, AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF 1.0) (trustworthy AI characteristics and risk management) - https://lnkd.in/e6JbWYXP - Indeed Hiring Lab, AI at Work Report 2025 (analysis of skill transformation and job postings) - https://lnkd.in/enrY4i_B - Harvard Business School D^3 Institute, “Future Proof with AI” (workforce upskilling program) - https://lnkd.in/e5VkhZvk - Amazon CEO Andy Jassy on generative AI (training and adoption expectations) - https://lnkd.in/eyK5YBS5 - Shopify CEO memo on AI as a baseline expectation (widely reported) - https://lnkd.in/eNtQgatn  

10 AI Skills That Matter in 2026 Not because AI is getting smarter. But because work is being reorganized around it. AI could be replacing professionals. Instead, it’s making one thing very clear: who knows how to work and who doesn’t. There’s no shortage of tools, models or access. What’s missing is structure. That’s why learning “more AI” isn’t the answer. The professionals moving ahead didn’t try to master everything. They focused on a small set of skills that changed how they think, decide, and execute. While most people use AI in fragments a prompt here, a task there, an occasional shortcut they redesigned how work gets done. AI became part of their system. Not an extra step. This cheat sheet highlights 10 AI skills that actually matter in 2026: • Clear instructions • Visual creation • Low-friction video • Multimodal thinking • Smart research • Work assistants • AI agents • Automation • AI with your own data • Rapid prototyping This is not about tools. Tools will change. These skills won’t. Think of this as a leverage map a reference for building better work systems, not chasing the next update. Save it. Revisit it. Use it as a guide for 2026.

The inaugural LinkedIn Skills on the Rise list is out, and here's what's fascinating: AI Literacy isn't just #1— AI can actually help you develop the #2 and #3 skills on the list! (Conflict Mitigation and Adaptability) This synergy creates a powerful opportunity for professional growth in 2025. 1️⃣ AI LITERACY What's the best way to build your—and your team's—AI skills fast? Here are tips from my new book, "How to Think with AI": 1.    Take the leap now: Don't wait for perfect clarity or "when you have time." The opportunity cost of waiting rises every quarter as AI advances. 2.    Try using AI as a thought partner: Instead of basic requests, challenge AI with sophisticated problems—a conflict with a colleague, a market opportunity analysis, or a strategic decision. Higher expectations lead to more valuable results. Keep the dialogue going with follow-up questions and feedback—AI improves through conversation. 3.    Make it a habit: If you are struggling to fit AI into your life, apply the five-minute rule. Start with just five minutes of AI interaction daily, and do that for a month—small enough not to feel like work but consistent enough to build the habit. Every day, ask yourself "how could AI help me today?" to expand your thinking of where AI can deliver value to you. 2️⃣ CONFLICT MITIGATION Try using AI as a "neutral" perspective: AI can serve as an impartial "third party" to evaluate different sides of a conflict. Have it role-play various stakeholders to simulate negotiations before difficult conversations, helping you anticipate objections and prepare responses. This preparation can significantly reduce tension when addressing real conflicts. 3️⃣ ADAPTABILITY AI supercharges your ability to navigate change. For example, try this: Future scenario planning: AI excels at exploring multiple possible futures and their implications. Challenge AI to generate diverse scenarios for upcoming changes—from market shifts to organizational restructuring—and work through potential responses for each. Perspective expansion: AI can help you view situations through different lenses —customers, competitors, regulators, different generations, diverse cultural viewpoints—revealing blind spots in your thinking. ____ 👋 Hi, I'm Alison McCauley, and focus on how to leverage AI to do better at what we humans do best. I'll be sharing more about how to Think with AI to boost your brainpower. Follow me for more, and share your thoughts below! https://lnkd.in/gQgA6sGi

Your next raise may depend on one thing: AI skills While everyone’s debating if AI will take jobs; smart professionals are learning AI skills to take better jobs. Here's the reality: • AI-related job postings grew 38% between 2020 and 2024, according to LinkedIn • Traditional roles stayed flat • AI skills pay roughly 28% more annually, according to Fortune. But here's what most miss about AI skills: You don't need to be technical. You just need to understand how to apply AI to real problems. Here's a comparison of people using AI and not using AI. This list isn't exhaustive but will give you some ideas. 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗨𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗜 • Manually sorting and replying to every email • Coordinating meeting times through back-and-forth messages • Taking and typing meeting notes yourself • Manually searching and compiling research • Building reports and dashboards from raw data by hand • Translating conversations or documents manually • Updating task lists and tracking deadlines by hand • Proofreading documents line-by-line yourself • Brainstorming ideas without structured assistance • Running manual “what-if” calculations in spreadsheets • Reading through full regulations to find relevant actions • Checking competitor updates one source at a time • Reading entire contracts to identify potential risks • Guessing which skills to learn next • Reviewing customer feedback one comment at a time • Estimating future workload without predictive tools • Rewriting proposals based only on past experience 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗜 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 • Mastering prompts • Automating email triage and responses • Instant meeting scheduling and coordination • Automatic meeting summaries with action items • Quick research and information synthesis • Data-to-report and dashboard automation • Real-time language translation in meetings • Smart task and deadline management • AI-powered proofreading and tone adjustment • Guided brainstorming and idea generation • Scenario simulation and decision modeling • Regulatory and policy summarization into checklists • Competitor intelligence tracking and reporting • Contract and legal clause risk review • Personalized skill gap analysis and learning plans • Voice-of-customer aggregation and analysis • Predictive workload and resource planning • Cross-department knowledge and project linking • Proposal and pitch content optimization • Instant multi-format content creation from one source The gap between AI-enabled professionals and everyone else is widening daily. I spend a lot of my time talking to professionals outside of the tech space on AI and how they can leverage it.   Most are using AI for simple searches, but there's so much more. Leverage it to get ahead.  If you don't, someone else will.  Share your thoughts below 👇 -- ♻️ Repost if you believe in continuous learning ➕ Follow Jason Moccia for insights on creating great products

The scariest part about 2025? It’s not AI replacing humans. It’s humans refusing to adapt and replacing themselves. In the last year alone, I’ve coached 1000s of candidates who came to me after layoffs. Brilliant minds. Hardworking professionals. Years of experience. But here’s the harsh truth: 👉 Companies aren’t firing people. 👉 They’re firing obsolete skillsets. If you want to stay employable and promotable in 2025, you need to learn the skills AI can’t replace. Here are the Top 6 skills that will save your career in the AI era: ✅ AI Literacy (Not Just Usage) It’s not enough to “prompt” ChatGPT. You need to know when to use AI, how to validate outputs, and where it adds value to your workflow. In short → learn to be AI’s manager, not its intern. ✅ Critical Thinking & Problem Solving AI gives data. But decisions need humans. Employers want people who can filter noise, spot patterns, and solve problems under pressure. ✅ Storytelling with Data Charts don’t convince. Stories do. The ability to turn raw data into clear, actionable narratives is one of the most in-demand leadership skills. ✅ Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Machines don’t build trust. Humans do. Skills like empathy, negotiation, and leadership will decide who moves into managerial roles and who stays stuck. ✅ Adaptability & Learning Agility The “I’ve always done it this way” mindset is career suicide. According to the World Economic Forum, 44% of workers’ skills will be disrupted in the next 5 years. Your ability to unlearn and relearn quickly will be the single biggest factor in your job security. Those who upskill fast, learn new tools, and stay flexible will always be 10 steps ahead. ✅ Negotiation & Influence AI can predict market salaries, but it can’t fight for your worth. Knowing how to negotiate salary, promotions, resources is a future-proof superpower. Layoffs don’t happen to people who keep reinventing themselves. They happen to people who think learning stops once they get hired. 👉 Repost this to help your friends future-proof their careers. #careertips #futureofwork #interviewcoach #AI #jobsearch