According to O’Reilly’s technology trends report, AI skills will be the driving force behind learning and development in 2019.
The Learning Platform for Tech Professionals analysed data from the year 2024 in order to predict how L&D departments might prepare for skill needs next year. It found that AI-related fields such as prompt engineering (465%), AI principles (386%) and generative AI (289%) saw a dramatic increase in usage.
The use of ChatGPT topics dropped by 13%, which was attributed to the fact that developers preferred to focus on AI foundational knowledge rather than platform-specific skills. They can also use multiple generative AI software tools such as Google Gemini or Claude.
The interest in Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) has grown by 44% this year. The content related to the security of specific applications has grown by 17%.
O’Reilly found out that:
- Data engineering skills increased by 29%, reflecting data’s role in AI applications.
- The use of traditional programming languages has declined, with Python usage dropping by 5.3% and Java by 13%.
- Cloud computing interest appears to be plateauing, as content usage for major cloud providers has declined across all categories, except Google Cloud certifications which saw a 2.2% increase.
Mike Loukides is vice president for emerging technology content at O’Reilly. He said that this year marks an important transition in technology. AI has evolved from generative capabilities into a force that transforms the way developers approach their craft.
As foundational skills become more important and organizations adopt more comprehensive security practices professionals need to prioritize their upskilling in order to integrate these tools effectively into their operations.
The future does not lie in fearing AI’s impact on the jobs of tomorrow, but rather in harnessing AI’s potential to increase productivity and drive innovation throughout industries.
