Experts often use the infant analogy to explain AI, suggesting that products like ChatGPT, the chatbot phenomenon, need to be taught everything they know by a real human.
These large-scale language models (LLMs) are initially created by developers and programmers who build them to a usable level. And there comes a point in an AI's lifespan when it needs to learn how to communicate clearly and efficiently.
A new breed of technology employee is being created here. They don't need to know anything about coding.
They are “rapid engineers” and are tasked with training LLMs to continuously provide accurate and useful responses to users.
Despite the six-figure salaries for people in this role, potential employers often welcome candidates without a technical background or coding skills.As Tesla's former head of AI, Andrei Kaparsy put it: “English is the hottest new programming language.”
The changing landscape for tech careers comes amid fierce competition for the top spot in the AI market, which has intensified in recent months after OpenAI's ChatGPT was hailed as a game-changer.
Shortly after Microsoft revealed that it was revamping Bing to include ChatGPT, Google moved to launch a chatbot competitor, Bard. The tech giant is investing $10 billion. Tesla is joining the race with Teslabot, and Chinese search engine giant Baidu is developing its own version called Erniebot.
At the time of writing, immediate job openings for engineers range from contract remote work at $200 an hour to full-time positions paying up to $335,000.
One of the roles advertised by San Francisco-based AI research and safety organization Anthropic requires basic programming skills.
However, in the job advertisement, the company said, “Even if [they] don't believe it [they] Meets all qualifications. ”
“We believe that AI systems like the ones we are building will have profound social and ethical implications,” the company said. “This makes representation even more important and we strive to include a variety of diverse perspectives on our teams.”
unique perspective
Peter Pru, CEO of Ecommerce Empire Builders, a company that designs and grows online sales platforms, has hired and trained two turnkey engineers, both of whom earn six-figure salaries annually.
Puru said luck A “solid” technical background is important, but a diverse background is valuable in bringing a unique experience to an ever-evolving platform.
He explained that his Philadelphia-based company's agile engineers are tasked with working with teams from design to research and development to generate inputs that deliver effective results for clients. You can also test new prompts, generate your own responses, and feed them back to your clients to adapt or improve your service.
He said training faster engineers is “definitely” something the company will revisit in the future, adding that while the training process may “take time,” it's an investment in success. He said he was thinking about it.
“Training typically includes teaching them about AI language models such as ChatGPT and the intricacies of prompt design and optimization,” he said. luck.
“With tools like ChatGPT, it's important to engineer your prompts to get unique responses, rather than just asking random questions. Additionally, you can analyze the performance of your prompts and You need to learn how to collaborate effectively with researchers, designers, editors and advertising managers.”
new opportunities
Kieran Scully, manager of technology at specialist recruitment agency Morgan McKinley, says the development of immediate engineering as a career path is in its infancy.
scully said luck Skills such as coding are not required for this job, but candidates with a background in linguistics or critical thinking can at least gain a basic understanding of data science, machine learning, and deep thinking, even through free online courses. You need to get used to it.
Krystian Dabrowski, CEO of Polish knowledge assessment platform Testportal, echoed similar sentiments, saying: “Candidates with non-technical backgrounds can definitely find opportunities in the AI industry.”
In an email, he said the aptitudes industry bosses look for are tenacity, logical thinking and curiosity.
The idea of cause and effect is also important, Dabrowski added.
“Candidates who are able to provide more context information when creating prompts are more likely to receive comprehensive and accurate answers from the AI,” he said. “This ability to think critically and understand the importance of context will be invaluable in the AI field.”
Scully believes AI-focused jobs in more niche markets such as healthcare, finance, gaming and legal will also continue to grow. Research conducted by Goldman Sachs shows that 300 million jobs will be affected by generative AI, but Scully said roles like agile engineers will [A.I] We have created and will continue to create new jobs, some of which we have not yet considered. ”
Employment will peak in 2025
Employers like Testportal believe that chatbots are becoming increasingly common across a variety of well-established sectors, and that AI has opened up the job market to people without traditional technical backgrounds.
Although the role is still in its infancy, experts predict that people looking to land a high-paying job, either as graduates or in the midst of a career change, will be able to find a plethora of jobs by 2025. ing.
Stephen Hellyer, director of London-based IT recruitment agency Initi8, said: luck He predicted that peak demand would come after 24 months as early adopters prove the value of the technology and employment becomes more clear.
But for now, he added, this is new ground.
“Candidates will typically have a task-based interview, as this job is based on their ability to create prompts rather than previous experience,” Hellier said. “This will ensure we hire people from diverse backgrounds and hire based on characteristics and abilities rather than experience.”