As of November 2024, GlobalData’s jobs analytics database found that there were more than 55,000 active AI-related job listings worldwide. While the market has stablised since 2021 and 2022, when GlobalData found that the number of active AI job listings was doubling each year, the need for AI talent remains a serious challenge.
To combat the skills shortage, universities are expanding recruitment of AI-focused researchers, and global multinationals such as Meta and Microsoft are offering free AI training platforms for employees and the public.
Today, the potential applications of AI are only increasing. Companies of all sizes across different verticals are incorporating chatbots, machine learning, and AI-powered data analytics into their business to improve efficiency and overall performance. As such, the demand for data scientists, software engineers, and AI architects still far outstrips supply, and new initiatives are required to address the talent bottleneck and ensure the promise of AI is fulfilled.
Initiatives to upskill employees
A first mover in AI, appointing the world’s first minister for AI in 2017, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is taking a lead in AI education. Notably, Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO) has emerged as a leading hub for AI business over the last two decades, transforming from the Middle East’s Silicon Valley into a dedicated economic zone for Knowledge and Innovation. Today, it is home to over 30,000 companies, from innovative startups and SMEs to multinational corporations and over 100,000 professionals and residents.
Businesses in DSO’s dedicated AI cluster can benefit from modern commercial and industrial spaces, digital infrastructure, R&D facilities, and the ability to test new technologies on scale, from robotics and UAVs to autonomous cars and AI-powered Smart City integrations. What makes Dubai Silicon Oasis genuinely unique is its flagship ecosystem, which connects the dots and provides opportunities for rapid acceleration and growth.
As a further investment in the technology, DSO has established the AI for Business Institute, which operates on-campus and provides valuable advice on integrating technology. The Institute offers a range of self-assessment tools for businesses from all verticals to gain greater insight into how they are using AI, as well as training for employees and entrepreneurs to further their understanding.
“As an employee or business owner, AI has a huge potential to take away some of the mundane, dull tasks we have to deal with day to day,” says JD Ackley, CEO of Raizor, an AI delivery partner and member of DSO’s pioneering AI cluster. “Right now is a time for education.”
The Institute’s training programmes are fundamental to upskilling the existing workforce: alongside hiring more data scientists and engineers, companies need to invest in their employees so they can adapt to and thrive in an AI-enhanced workplace.
“Smart companies are rolling out training programmes tailored to different roles, such as marketers learning to work with AI content creation tools, internal departments creating use-cases to solve their workflow issues, IT teams getting up to speed on AI infrastructure, and so on,” explains Can Kartal, chief operating officer at DialogSphere, an innovative enterprise AI business which is also a member of the DSO AI cluster.
“The key is creating an environment where people feel empowered rather than threatened by AI. This might mean creating partnerships with experts, universities, or tech providers for training, or setting up internal mentorship programmes where AI specialists get involved.
“The goal isn’t to turn everyone into an AI engineer, but to help people understand how AI can make them better at what they already do.”
Equipping students with essential AI training
While upskilling drives are helping leverage the talents of existing employees, more must be done to prepare students for the workforce of tomorrow. Schools and universities need to harness the power of the AI market, which GlobalData predicts will be worth over $1tn by 2030.
To address this talent gap, the Rochester Institute of Technology of Dubai (RIT Dubai), situated on the DSO campus, has introduced several key initiatives to equip students with essential AI skills. Ran in partnership with Stallion AI, the 365 Digital AI Citizenship programme is one such effort. Providing participants with a custom learning plan and access to an exclusive global community of experts, students can access the AIQOM platform to explore how AI can help solve real-world problems. At the end of the programme, they are awarded AI Citizen status.
Dr. Yousef Al-Assaf, president of RIT Dubai, said: “[The AI Citizenship programme] is an exciting collaboration that supports our commitment to go beyond traditional university education to prepare RIT Dubai students for the world of opportunities that awaits.
“Artificial intelligence is an increasingly critical component of the global economy and, as Certified AI Citizens, our graduates will be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and experience to play a leading role in this future-defining technology.”
In September 2024, RIT Dubai launched another pioneering initiative in partnership with Digital Dubai. Two new programmes in prompt engineering and custom large language models (LLMs) will be offered to students, combining theoretical and practical components to explore different use cases for AI at institutional and community levels.
Creating the AI talent pool of tomorrow
Alongside these exciting partnerships, RIT Dubai students benefit from the campus’s state-of-the-art facilities, including a dedicated AI and robotics lab. Staffed by experts in computer vision (CV), students associated with the lab have the chance to enter exciting competitions, such as the A2RL Autonomous Racing STEM Challenge and the Emirates Robotics Competition, to put their skills to the test.
The lab also hosts workshops for teachers and high school pupils to familiarise themselves with the principles of AI and robotics. With RIT Dubai situated onsite within DSO, companies based in the freezone have access to this dynamic pool of AI-skilled talent – many graduates go on to be hired by DSO businesses or even create their own startups.
“One of the key aims of DSO is to develop innovative uses of AI technology, connecting the most innovative companies of our time with a talent pool of ambitious learners, selective investment, and acceleration programmes,” notes Dr Juma al-Matrooshi, Director General of DSO. “Today, Dubai Silicon Oasis stands at the forefront of advancing Industry 4.0.”
Thanks to its dedicated initiatives to educate workers and students, DSO is leading the charge in closing the AI talent gap and stimulating a new generation of tech talent.
Kartal notes: “Success in the future won’t be about having the latest technology – it will be about creating a workplace where human creativity and AI capabilities complement each other, unleashing new possibilities and use cases that we are only beginning to imagine.”
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