Gone are the days when AI was a thing of tech giants alone. Today, businesses have embraced technology in the form of AI to the extent that almost all the areas pertaining to digital transformation that one can think of are accomplished. From automated cars to machines assisting surgeons and doctors in medical procedures, AI has had a positive impact and has changed our lives for the better. That said, the pace at which the automation industry is growing, the demand for professionals who showcase excellent AI skills, is equally seeing an upward trajectory. To stand ahead in the race of competition, it is important that you possess skills that differentiate you from the rest. Here are some key skills that can help in carving a niche for you.

Understanding the business problem

AI caters to a range of business problems. In order to make the better implementation of the technology, it is critical that one has a thorough understanding of the business problem, what is the objective and how can AI be deployed in the best possible manner to meet the desired results. This is not something that can be achieved in one go. A thorough study is what one needs to go about. Right from having a fair idea of what exactly is the business problem to the various number of solutions available, you should be able to work on all of this.

Languages

A solid command of machine learning languages is expected from everyone who aims to step into the world of data. One of the most common languages is Python. Clear concepts and hands-on experience in this domain help in differentiating you from the rest. Well, another point to note here is that someone who is keen to explore the world of AI should not limit his / her knowledge to just Python. There are a wide range of languages that form the base of machine learning and AI. Being well-acquainted with the latest technologies always helps.

Computer fundamentals

A decent knowledge of computer software fundamentals right from data structures, trees, graphs, optimization algorithms, linear programming, to computer architecture, you as an IT professional should know it all. This is because without having basic knowledge pertaining to how the system and its principles work, it would be difficult to cope up with various projects that come by.

Data modeling

How can one not talk about data modeling techniques when it comes to machine learning and AI? These techniques are used to identify valid patterns & classifications on datasets, hence the importance.

Data engineering

Considering the massive amounts of data that organizations deal with, rearing this data for analysis is no less than a strenuous task. Today, organizations have realized the importance of building systems and processes that automate the acquisition, transformation, and delivery of data. It is now the time that IT Professionals the core principles of software engineering in a manner that they are able to make the best of data. Therefore, data engineering teams who would develop and deploy automated data pipelines to be able to deliver high-quality data at scale would become way more common than it is now. Hence, data engineering is yet another key skill that IT Professionals should possess.