Wait, WTF are AI Skills?
Because apparently telling robots what to do costs $2,979
Ah, "AI skills". They are like a healing crystal sold by a guy named Brad at a wellness convention. Everyone is selling them. Nobody can define them. But, they are vital for your future. Trust me, bro.
It’s 2025 now. We can barely handle the present. Yet we’re told to prepare everyone for tomorrow by teaching… something.
Nobody is quite sure what.
But it is definitely important.
Shh it’s a dirty little secret
Spoiler alert: None of these “AI skills” targeting the masses are new. They’re old-school management in AI drag.
Effective Prompting = Telling people (or robots) what you want, without sounding nuts.
AI Workflow Integration = Delegation and clear goals.
Output Evaluation = Checking if the work is correct. Yawn.
Yes, it’s snake oil territory. But for the corporate crowd, let’s rebrand management 101 as “AI.”
Delegation Skills (Now With 100% More Silicon!): You used to offload tasks to Susan; now you offload them to Claude.
Clear Communication (But to Robots!): Like telling Bob to finish a sales report, except the AI might ask, “Did you mean Al Pacino?”
Project Management (Featuring ChatGPT): Gantt charts, deadlines, and no coffee complaints.
Quality Control (Now With Extra Hallucinations): You used to check for your intern’s weird additions; now you check for AI’s fictional citations.
Enter universities and tech companies. Unfortunately institutions like MIT peddle “AI Literacy” programs at $2,979 that most likely teach super hard skills like, “Write me a poem.” Next up: a Master’s in Advanced Copy-Paste.
Corporate HR is no better. They’ll run “AI Upskilling Workshops” teaching:
Read the AI’s output before forwarding to your boss (genius!).
Avoid asking AI for retirement advice.
Double-check citations that might be imaginary.
Consultants have a brand new cash cow: repackaging common sense as “AI Strategy” Pay millions for AI PowerPoints you'll never use instructing you to:
Leverage AI synergies (Translation: Use ChatGPT to draft email).
Implement robust AI governance (Translation: Don’t let the AI tweet company trade secrets).
Cultivate an AI-first mindset (Translation: Remember AI exists).
What’s overlooked is your 2025 AI Survival Guide
Understanding what AI actually can't do1
Allocating resources wisely and,
Knowing when to overrule a questionable suggestion (i.e. judgement)
Sure, Python, data science and knowing what end-points OpenAI has on offer matter. But the real edge for anyone not training or building directly with AI will come from elsewhere. Being AI-aware is far more valuable than any shiny “prompt engineering” certificate from Vanderbilt.
So here’s your 2025 AI Survival Guide: Skip that pricey prompt course. Ditch “synergy-driven AI transformation frameworks.” Instead, improve your leadership, communication, and judgment.
Look inward. Don’t let the true nature or value of anything elude you. — VI.3
Read dusty management books2.
Practice explaining big ideas to kids3.
Learn to spot BS from humans and machines alike4.
Hone your judgment5.
If you must spend money, invest in grasping AI’s limits, not its purported magic. The best aren’t selling courses; but they’re the ones who can tell you exactly what AI cannot do (and P.S. you can learn this too with enough time spent in the trenches using the models).
Bottom line: Your edge lies in thinking like a human who knows how to work with robots.
No certification required.
Now, excuse me while I tell Brad his AI-powered healing crystals aren’t market-ready.
Read this paper once and then read it again
I can’t recommend Andy Grove’s High Output Management enough
What did Einstein say? Oh right, if you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.
If you need a refresher, HBR delivers in spades