The Future of Career in AI – A Guide

An IT or computer engineering student who starts college this year will graduate into a radically different job market in four years. Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) are some of the top technological trends that will drive business for information technology organizations in advanced markets. Therefore, it is imperative to know of all the trends to build a successful future career in AI.

According to Reportbuyer, the AI market is estimated to grow to $5.05 billion by 2020 at a CAGR of 53.65 percent from 2015 to 2020. This growth can be attributed to factors such as:

• diversified application areas,
• improved productivity and,
• increased customer satisfaction

Industries ranging from healthcare and banking to automotive and media, business models are changing and adapting thanks to AI. Python and Java, the languages that shape AI and ML have their origins in India, which explains why the country is aligning its goals with the world’s quest for a global network of artificial intelligence.

The Onslaught of AI in India

Startups are playing a major role in innovating faster than corporates, which has led to several interesting partnerships.

Startups are playing a key role when it comes to innovating faster and more efficiently than corporates. SAP India has invested in Niki.ai, a bot that improves the ordering experience. Then there’s Racetrack.AI, where a bot improves customer engagement and provides insights; it functions as a virtual communications assistant to convert the customer into a client. Racetrack is helping companies turn leads into meaningful engagements using Artificial Intelligence. Another startup, LUCEP, converts all potential queries into leads with their AI engine.

The AI Talent-Demand Supply in India

When it comes to AI’s growth story in India, the country is fast adapting to the change. Many companies in India are already looking at small implementations of AI in various sectors. One of them being customer care, which involves automatically identifying issues and concerns from customer’s voice or text and respond to them. While this is just the basic of AI, there is a lot more coming up to improve and build upon. Keeping in mind the diverse languages and accessibility, India appears to be an excellent platform to develop AI systems and the most complex ones too.

Skills required for a successful career in AI

While the progress in the industry is worth noting, building a career in this field is not for everyone. Individuals interested in building their future career in AI need a specific education qualification that is based on the foundation of technology, logic, maths, and engineering perspectives. Working in this field requires an analytical thought process and a problem-solving ability with cost-effective and efficient solutions. AI professionals need technical skills to design, maintain and repair technology and software programs.

Apart from the basic knowledge, an individual looking to building a future career in AI will need to have specialized skill sets for  surviving in the field. Here are some specifics that you can look at:

• Study mathematics, especially mathematical logic
• The more you learn about sciences, e.g. physics or biology, the better
• For the biological approaches to AI, study psychology and the physiology of the nervous system. Learn some programming languages like C, Lisp, and Prolog.
• It is also a good idea to learn one basic machine language.

The scope of Artificial Intelligence:

The ultimate effort is to make computer programs that can solve problems and achieve goals in the world, as well as humans. There is a scope in developing the machines in game playing, speech recognition machine, language detection machine, computer vision, expert systems, robotics and many more.

Career Opportunities in AI:

With the right credentials and attitude, these are some of the few jobs AI professionals can seek:

• Machine learning engineer – Design and build machine learning systems that process and classify Internet-scale content.
• Data scientist – As a Data Scientist your role is to follow the data by analyzing, visualizing, and modeling it.
• Research scientist – Your role would be to solve research problems that don’t have stringent solutions for today through a process of prototyping, implementation, measurement, and iteration
• Business intelligence developer – Your role will involve partnering with business and technology stakeholders, leading the establishment of an enterprise data model, architecture, strategy and roadmap.
• Computer vision engineer – The role involves developing innovative computer vision technologies and solutions. You will have the opportunity to design, implement, and improve cutting-edge algorithms.

Most of these in-demand jobs require skills mentioned above, including strength in mathematics and machine learning.

Where can you learn Artificial Intelligence in India?

There are numerous online and offline courses available where you can learn the language (Python) and understand how to use the data and technology to create a rewarding career in AI.

How to excel at a career in AI?

Apart from having the required skill set and education, there are other ways to stand out and be a strong candidate for these lucrative gigs. Here are five things experts recommend to improve your application, whether you’re working in the field already or not.

1. i) Join online courses. There are many online courses for AI topics, allowing one to learn more about the field as a whole or gain more specialized knowledge. Some of these options offer certifications that can really amp up your resume.
2. ii) Join outside organizations. Look out for hackathons or meetups in the field. Learning from others in the field can help you network and improve your skills. Getting involved with organizations that deal with large data allow data scientists to work on new data, practicing and growing their skills while learning from their peers. 

iii) Give value-add through standard business knowledge. Many of the in-demand AI jobs are technical by nature. Knowing how to translate those developments to other businesses/fields or consumers is beneficial for any organization. There is an increasing demand for a unique skill set that includes familiarity with AI techniques as well as deep business and domain expertise.

1. iv) Read, read, read. AI is constantly evolving; and to have a successful career in AI, one should always be learning, and reading is a way to do that. The real trick is to read. Read a lot. Not just your own area but all the related areas. And a few things even more distant. The more you know, the more indispensable you’ll become.
2. v) Be a sponge. AI is a rapidly developing field, so be prepared to explore as many experiences and opportunities as possible for a successful career in AI.

There is a huge market demand for AI engineers right now. With so much advancement in the AI field, there is no reason to not pursue Artificial Intelligence.