How to stay competitive in an AI world
Worried your lack of AI skills could hurt your job prospects? Learn how to stay competitive with online AI courses.
By: Reese Lopez, Edited by: Valerie Black
Last updated: September 11, 2025
Artificial intelligence has quickly reshaped modern professional life, creating major changes in industries such as education, business, and healthcare. Whatever your career, it's likely AI will soon play a role if it doesn't already. Even if you're not a tech person, developing AI skills can help you stay competitive in a rapidly shifting job market.
Learn more about staying current with AI, including continuing education options, reskilling strategies, and AI courses for beginners available online.
AI's impact on businesses
AI uses algorithms and models to perform functions like language comprehension, reasoning, decision-making, and pattern recognition. This technology simulates human intelligence.
AI has transformed the ways businesses operate and how employees perform their duties.
Positive effects
Some of the positive effects of AI in business include:
- Automation of tasks, leading to increased efficiency and lower costs.
- Decision-making informed by data, real-time insights, and advanced analytics.
- Improved customer experience based on prior consumer behavior.
Challenges
Businesses that use AI also face challenges:
- Automating repetitive tasks can lead to job losses. AI may also increase the divide between high-skill and low-skill jobs.
- AI needs large amounts of data to perform tasks, so businesses must safeguard customer data effectively.
- Over-reliance on AI may turn off customers who prefer a human element in business interactions.
Tips for staying competitive in an AI world
Tip 1: Focus on developing skills that AI can't replace
AI is extremely effective at analyzing large amounts of data and automating tedious tasks. However, AI isn't able to empathize, create, or examine information critically. Developing your critical thinking and innovation skills can help you position yourself well in labor markets.
Some other ways you can continue to stay relevant in job markets include:
- Improving your soft skills: These skills will always be in demand, as they complement rather than compete with AI strengths. So focus on negotiation skills, leadership, and emotional intelligence to position yourself for career success.
- Learning to work with AI: Many jobs will not be replaced by AI, but will need to incorporate its use. Being able to work with AI can enhance your candidacy for many job openings.
Tip 2: Prioritize lifelong learning
Stay on top of what employers look for through continuing education opportunities. Look into options like:
- Certification and coursework: Earn certifications in your field and take courses to stand out when hunting for a job. Online options like edX make it easy and less expensive to strengthen your credentials.
- Network: Attend conferences, trade shows, and online industry functions to stay on top of developments in your industry and potentially unlock career opportunities.
Tip 3: Embrace AI as an opportunity
Many workers feel threatened by AI, and for good reason. AI is causing many businesses to downsize their workforces. However, the emergence of artificial intelligence has also created an urgent demand for specialized professionals, particularly those with a master's degree in artificial intelligence and related disciplines.
Working with, rather than competing with, AI can be a smart, career-securing strategy. Below, find a few roles that often use AI, with 2024 median salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
| Career | Median annual salary (May 2024) |
|---|---|
| Cybersecurity engineer | $130,390 |
| Data scientist | $112,590 |
| Software developer | $131,450 |
Ways to learn AI on edX
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AI has changed the way businesses run and how workers do their jobs. Explore business programs on edX to learn how AI can support your career goals.