Where exactly are all the AI ​​jobs? • Virginia Mercury

The need for artificial intelligence skills in new hires has exploded over the past five years and remains a priority for HR managers in nearly every industry, according to data from the annual AI Index Report found.

In 2023, 1.6% of all jobs in the United States required AI skills, a slight decline from 2% in 2022. The decline comes after many years of growing interest in artificial intelligence and is likely due to hiring slowdowns, hiring freezes, or layoffs at major technology companies such as Amazon, Deloitte And Capital One in 2023, the report says.

The numbers are still significantly higher than they were just a few years ago, and by 2023, thousands of jobs across all industries will require AI skills.

What do these AI jobs look like? And where exactly are they located?

Generative AI skills, or the ability to develop algorithms that generate text, images, or other data when asked, were the most in-demand. Nearly 60% of AI-related jobs require these skills. Modeling large languages, or developing technology that can generate and translate text, was second in demand. 18% of AI jobs said these skills were required.

These skills were followed by ChatGPT knowledge, prompt engineering or training AI, and two other specific machine learning skills.

The industries requiring these skills are very diverse: the information industry ranks first with 4.63% of jobs, while professional, scientific and technical services came in second with 3.33%. This was followed by the financial and insurance industry with 2.94% and manufacturing with 2.48% in fourth place.

In public administration, education, management and utilities, 1-2% of job openings required AI skills, while in agriculture, mining, wholesale trade, real estate, transportation, warehousing, retail and waste management, 0.4-0.85% of job openings required AI skills.

Although AI jobs are concentrated in a few regions of the country, by 2023, nearly every U.S. state had thousands of AI-specific jobs, according to the report.

California – home of Silicon Valley – had 15.3% or 70,630 of the country's AI-related jobs posted in 2023. Texas followed with 7.9% or 36,413 jobs. Virginia came in third with 5.3% or 24,417 AI jobs.

By population, Washington state had the highest percentage of people in AI jobs, followed by California in second place and New York in third place.

Montana, Wyoming, and West Virginia were the only states with fewer than 1,000 job openings requiring AI, but due to population size, AI jobs still accounted for 0.75%, 0.95%, and 0.46% of all state job openings last year.

Although the number of jobs decreased from 2022 to 2023, the adoption of AI technologies in all business operations has not decreased. In 2017, 20% of companies reported that they had started using AI for at least one function of their work. In 2022, 50% of companies reported that they had done so, and that number reached 55% in 2023.

For those who have integrated AI tools into their companies, employees are more productive, the report said. Studies have shown that AI tools have enabled employees to complete tasks faster and improve the quality of their work, the report said. Research suggests that AI may also be able to improve employees' skills – so-called upskilling – the report said.

The report acknowledges that despite all the technological advances the AI ​​industry has made over the past five years, many unknowns remain. The US is still waiting for federal legislation on AI, while The states issue their own regulations and laws.

The Stanford report predicts two future scenarios for the development of the technology: In one, the technology will continue to develop and increase productivity, but there is a possibility that it will be used for “good and bad purposes.” In the other future, the adoption of AI technologies could be limited without appropriate research and development, the researchers say.

“They are intervening to promote the positive aspects,” the report says of government agencies. “For example, by funding research and development at universities and encouraging private investment. Governments are also trying to manage the potential downsides, such as impacts on employment, privacy concerns, misinformation and intellectual property rights.”