Prompt engineering is the new AI job to know about now – and it pays big money

Unless you’ve been on an extended news detox, you’ll have heard the buzz about artificial intelligence (AI). Since easy-to-use generative AI models burst onto the scene at the end of 2022, it now seems like everyone and anyone is using AI.

So far, generative AI has proved hugely popular with the UK public, with people awakening to its capabilities to do lots of useful things. In the workplace, we are even seeing the rise of what’s being called ‘Bring Your Own AI to work’ (BYOAI). This is where employees are using non-approved AI tools to help them in their day-to-day lives, even if the boss has not explicitly said that’s okay.

From research for reports to generating project ideas and outlines, and even helping out with presentations or emails, many UK workers are finding that generative AI is giving them a helping hand, is saving them time––and can even be a bit of fun.

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But others, particularly those working in creative industries, like advertising, journalism or TV and film, see it as a threat.

That’s because generative AI models use what’s called large language models (LLMs), which in turn are trained on huge sets of data––and often that data is scraped from publicly available Internet resources. Think news articles, academic research, government reports and public information, for example.

The idea is that this information can then be used by AI platforms to create new concepts and  content, and as a result, people worry that their jobs will be lost as a result.

That fear isn’t without merit. It is true that some jobs will be vulnerable, like customer service agents for example. AI can do their job in many cases quicker and more efficiently. Some manufacturing roles look set to recede as smart robots come into play, and bank tellers’ roles may also be at risk.

AI jobs on the rise

When it comes to creative jobs, the good news is that creativity is a uniquely human trait and AI can’t replicate this. Essentially, it can copy and remake, but humans will always be top of the pile when it comes to their originality and ability to dream up new creative concepts.

And official sources say that AI will also be responsible for creating tens of millions of new roles over the next few years. Many of these could be within the tech sector, like the need for lots more data analysts, for example.

But many other brand new jobs seem set to be created as AI develops rapidly, and requires people with special skills. Those new roles could be things like an AI ethicist, who would consider the legal, moral and social implications of an AI tool or platform.

Another job could be an AI solutions analyst, aka someone who acts like a consultant, finding the right AI solution for the right industry.

One of the most interesting new jobs is that of prompt engineering. This is a new buzzword you need to know about because it is the secret sauce that makes AI work smarter and faster.

In a nutshell, prompt engineers are the people who create the perfect questions or instructions to get AI platforms to give the best possible answers. Think of them as the ones teaching the robots to really understand us.

Basically, they’re the behind-the-scenes pros who fine-tune what we say to AI to make it as efficient and accurate as possible. If you’ve ever asked a smart speaker to do something and it nailed it (or didn’t…), well then, that’s exactly where prompt engineering comes in. It’s about trial, error, and nailing the perfect wording to get exactly what you want.

Tech skills not required

Unsurprisingly, this role is popping up everywhere, from tech giants to startups and even your favorite online shopping sites.

So how can you get a prompt engineering job? You may be surprised to know that it doesn’t necessarily require lots of technical skills or programming knowledge, because it isn’t about writing complex code.

It’s more about understanding how to ask the right questions in the right way to get AI systems to respond correctly. So language skills are important, and if you have a knack for problem-solving and love playing with words, this is the perfect intersection of creativity and technology for you.

And here’s the clincher. Despite the fact that prompt engineering doesn’t necessarily require programming or specific technical skills, the pay is high, with salaries in the US reported to be between £177,000 and £258,000.

Look for a great new job on the Metro Job Board, which has thousands of roles all across the UK.