Tencent says that now there are only 300 thousand specialists in AI, and we need millions

Chinese technological giant Tencent published a report on the state of the labor market in the field of artificial intelligence. According to the data of this report, currently there are about 300 thousand experts on AI - "researchers and practitioners" around the world. At the same time, the market needs millions of such specialists.

This is a very controversial indicators. In addition, the study does not indicate how they were obtained. But they show a general trend quite accurately and echo the results of other similar studies. In the market there is a shortage of specialists in the field of artificial intelligence. Technology companies around the world regularly report difficulties in finding and hiring relevant engineers. As a result of the fact that demand substantially exceeds supply, salaries in the industry have reached absurd indices. Specialists with just a few years of practice can expect to receive salaries in the amount of $ 300 thousand to $ 500 thousand per year. And the labor of the best specialists is estimated at millions of dollars. One independent AI development solutions laboratory stated that there were only about 10,000 people worldwide with the necessary skills to lead serious new AI projects.

According to the Tencent report, one of the main problems in the labor market in the field of artificial intelligence is education. It is reported that of the above 300 thousand available specialists about 200 thousand people are already employed in various industries (not only in IT). The remaining 100,000 people are still being trained. The attendance of the courses in machine learning and artificial intelligence has increased significantly in recent years, as well as the involvement of the audience in the relevant online courses. But still there is a significant lag behind the needs of the market, because people still need to complete the training.

The Tencent report contains other interesting information. For example, if there is a shortage of specialists in the field of AI, there is also an increase in global competition in the development and implementation of an artificial intelligence solution. Moreover, many experts in the US say that the country lags behind China in the global AI race. At the same time, in the report, the United States, China, Japan and Britain are called key players in this market, and Israel and Canada also deserve attention. Moreover, many of the countries are strong in one aspect, not in the complex. For example, Canada has a strong educational foundation, and many research companies are launching research laboratories in the country. At the same time, the ethical and legal aspects of AI are better developed in the UK. And Japan occupies a leading position in the field of robotics. At the same time, the US is called the leader in terms of "global talent". There is the largest number of universities with AI and related subjects programs, and most startups in the field of AI than in any other country.

Source: The Verge