The No.1 skill you need to stay relevant in the age of AI is not being replaced by it, but rather using it effectively.

Employees and businesses alike are learning how to use artificial intelligence to stay competitive and relevant today.

According to Laurence Liew, director for AI Innovation at AI Singapore, during a panel discussion at Salesforce's World Tour Essentials event in Singapore, AI is not going to replace you, but rather someone who uses AI to outperform you will replace you.

According to the 2024 Microsoft Work Trends Index, while 45% of professionals worry about AI replacing their job, 55% of leaders are concerned about a shortage of talent to fill roles.

With a shortage of talent, there is a significant opportunity for individuals to acquire AI skills, as 71% of corporate leaders prefer a less experienced candidate with these skills over a more experienced one without them, according to a report.

Since the release of OpenAI's ChatGPT in November 2022, AI has been a hot topic, but large corporations have been slow to incorporate the technology and train their employees.

The modern workplace faces a challenge in balancing what is required and what is practical.

The Microsoft study reveals that although 79% of executives believe their company should adopt AI to remain competitive, the need for immediate returns on investment has slowed the transition to AI.

While employees worldwide are taking charge of their own AI education, there are some challenges that come with self-learning.

The risks of self-learning AI

One of the main challenges with self-learning AI is that many individuals lack the knowledge to perform it securely and efficiently.

Experts argue that AI resources such as ChatGPT and other tools that use large language models (LLMs) are not truly free. LLMs are algorithms that can identify, summarize, translate, forecast, and produce information by utilizing massive datasets.

"Liew stated that there are no free services in the world, and that data is the valuable asset being traded. He advised against using company or personal data when utilizing free online AI tools."

It is crucial to learn how to use AI tools safely and effectively while upskilling.

The must-have AI skill

According to Liew, the most important skill to acquire today is effectively communicating with AI-powered LLMs, such as Open AI's ChatGPT, Microsoft's Copilot, and Google's Gemini.

Liew stated that people misuse ChatGPT due to its similarity with Google search, as reported by CNBC Make It.

The key to working with an LLM is to be specific in your prompts.

To effectively work with AI, it's important to provide it with a lot of context, just as you would with a hardworking intern who may make mistakes occasionally. If you're asking an intern to do something, it won't be a one-sentence task. The intern would likely be scratching their head, trying to figure out what to do.

To improve your skills with AI tools at home, Liew suggests practicing with them. By doing so, you can learn how to provide more descriptive prompts to the LLM, which will help you achieve your desired outcome.

"Although you must still be proficient in your domain, the tedious task of sifting through 20 files is now handled by an AI system, allowing you to work at a much faster pace. Imagine the transformation that can occur when you can turn around work at that speed," Liew stated.

By next year, using AI tools will become as familiar as using a spell-checker in Microsoft Word, according to Liew.

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