Back in 2017, a report by Dell Technologies and Institute Of The Future stated that 85% of the jobs that will exist in 2030 have not yet been invented.
We are now just under half of that. We don't yet know exactly how well that prediction will pan out, but we do know that we've seen a dramatic shift in the way we work.
One job that currently has a bright future is the emerging field of prompt engineering. Prompt engineers are experts at making new generation generative AI applications like ChatGPT and Google Bard behave the way you want them to.
Reportedly, agile engineers require little or no technical knowledge. After all, as Andrej Karpathy, Tesla's former head of AI who now works at his ChatGPT creator OpenAI, says, “English is the hottest new programming language.” Additionally, this position currently pays a salary of up to $335,000.
Does it seem attractive? So, let's take a look at what makes a suitable person to become a prompt engineer, what background and skills are required, and who is hiring them. Is it really the future of work, or is it just a product of the over-inflated state of the current AI hype cycle?
What is a prompt engineer?
Generative AI tools, especially those that can create text, computer code, and graphics, are currently causing a great deal of excitement (and considerable concern). This is because they can potentially take on the heavy daily labor of employees in a variety of roles, from marketers to human resources, legal, computer programming, and data analysts.
These kinds of tools put great power in people's hands, but if everyone has access to the same technology, how can they use it while expressing their individuality and creativity? How can you make sure you stand out from the work of others and create a competitive edge for your business?
This is where quick engineering skills come into play. Learning how to get the best results from generative AI is a skill that needs to be learned and honed, just like becoming professionally proficient with any other computer software.
This can often be an iterative process. Vague and general prompts will receive vague and general responses, but that's a start and you can improve from there. Engineers use human judgment and communication skills to identify what's missing in the AI-generated work and adjust prompts until they get the desired results.
A good example is using natural language generation (NLG) AI like ChatGPT to write code for useful software applications.
Let's say you have an idea for a new app. To reduce your company's carbon footprint, you might want to create a tool that allows your company's shift workers to arrange ride-sharing to and from work.
If you just tell ChatGPT to write this app, you're going to fail. The code is too complex to output all at once, and I don't have the data I need to do the job.
However, there is a good chance that it is possible if the job is split into appropriate chunks and all the necessary data is provided.
A good prompt engineer can be thought of as the “project manager” of the AI workforce, overseeing the completion of the individual tasks that make up the work and ensuring that all workers (AI agents) are required to get that task. Make sure you have the right tools (data). end.
Another useful concept in prompt engineering is roles. This allows you to define “personas” for your AI to generate more relevant and engaging responses. Just as humans answer questions differently depending on their teacher, scientist, philosopher, comedian, etc., Prompt Her Engineers defines the personalities, traits, and beliefs that need to inform her AI. can. reaction.
What skills do I need?
Many of the skills needed to get the best results from generative AI applications can be considered soft skills rather than hard technical skills.
First, and perhaps most important, are communication skills. Just like you would give instructions and training to a human employee, you need to be able to accurately and clearly express what you want the AI to do.
It requires attention to detail. If you can dig deep into exactly what type of response or content you're looking for, you'll be more successful with rapid engineering.
Good organizational skills are also essential. You need to be able to identify individual elements of your work and tell the AI how to process them systematically.
Data skills are also very useful, as you need to be able to understand what information the AI needs to do its job, where to find it, and in what format it should be in order to be processed by the AI.
Subject matter expertise is also beneficial, as not all output from a generative AI application is correct and it is easier for someone with subject matter knowledge to evaluate responses.
It also requires the ability to think critically to evaluate different approaches that can be used to get AI to complete a particular task and determine which one is likely to work.
Additionally, project management and planning skills are critical to identifying areas in your organization where generative AI can be useful and deploying strategies to use it to create value.
Who is hiring ready-to-work engineers?
Companies ranging from digital advertising agencies to software developers to healthcare providers and utility companies are hiring ready-to-work engineers.
Time reports that the number of job postings involving GPT increased by 51% between 2021 and 2022.
California AI startup Anthropic says its roles are a hybrid of “programming, teaching, and teaching,” and advertises salaries ranging from $280,000 to $375,000.
London-based digital agency Rehab has hired ready-to-work engineers to prototype new applications of LLM technology, develop the ability to fine-tune language models and communicate, and maintain up-to-date knowledge in the field. looking for.
Additionally, Boston Children's Hospital in Massachusetts is seeking an immediate engineer to deploy large-scale language models to support medical research and clinical practice.
How can I learn prompt engineering?
Although this is a very new field, there are already many courses available online that teach the ins and outs of prompt engineering.
Online course portal Udemy offers a number of courses on generative AI prompt engineering, including ones focused on mastering ChatGPT and creating AI images using Midjourney.
The Next Level Prompt Engineering with AI online course promises to teach students how to write effective prompts that will give them a competitive edge over other students looking to automate tasks using AI .
Cloud Academy has a very short beginner-level introductory book called ChatGPT Prompt Engineering that teaches you the basics of chaining prompts and trains ChatGPT to take on expert roles.
Datacamp also has an introductory ChatGPT course that not only teaches best practices for creating prompts, but also covers how to use chatbots in a variety of businesses.
Class Central also has a number of free Prompt Engineering courses, including Introduction to Prompt Engineering, Chat GPT Crash Course for Beginners, Getting Started with Midjourney, and Automate Useful Professional Tasks with Open AI.
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