A new survey has shown that many of us are worried that a lack of AI knowledge, and not understanding tools like ChatGPT, could be causing us to fall behind our colleagues at work.
We're also apparently trying to to hide our lack of understanding in the workplace by pretending to know more than we actually do.
With plenty of ways to get up to speed with AI, including free courses, we tell you what to do if you're suffering from AI anxiety.
LinkedIn's AI Workplace Study
If you're worried that you don't know your ChatGPT from your Bard, then you're not alone. New research from LinkedIn has revealed that almost half, 49%, of workers are worried that they are slipping behind when it comes to AI skills.
40% of respondents to the global survey said that they felt overwhelmed by AI, and struggle to keep up with developments, which is understandable, given the technology's constant progress and development.
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56% said that they simply didn't know how to use AI at work, pointing to a lack of education from employers when it comes to training and best practice, that's assuming the company you work for even allows you to use AI at all. Some, like Apple and Samsung, have banned some AI platforms internally through fear of sensitive data leaking out.
Not wanting to feel left out, 40% of respondents claimed to bluff their way through conversations about AI at the workplace, pretending they knew more than they actually did.
Getting Yourself Up to Speed with AI
It's quite easy to be daunted by AI – after all, until this year it didn't come into the conversation at work for many of us, and now it's literally everywhere, even threatening millions of jobs.
The good news is that there is still plenty of time to learn how to use AI efficiently, and, judging by the results of this survey, half your colleagues are none the wiser anyway.
Take a free online AI course
One of the easiest ways to learn about AI, is to take an online course. There are plenty of free options available, from companies such as Google and Microsoft, and even Harvard has it's own free course.
There are plenty of topics to choose from, from introductions to AI, to more complex courses such as TensorFlow for machine learning (if that means nothing to you, start with an introductory course!).
Read more details in our detailed guide to the free AI courses available.
Use AI prompts to be more efficient at work
Once you've got to grips with the concept of AI, you can start experimenting with using the platforms like Bard and ChatGPT. So you're not starting from scratch, we've created 40 ‘prompts' (essentially, instructions for AI) to give you a headstart.
Take a look at our guide to the best ChatGPT prompts to save you time at work.
Play around with the platforms
There's really no better way to learn something than to get stuck in, so whether you want to try Bard, ChatGPT, or other AI platforms, all of which have a free version, we suggest having a play and seeing what you can do.
Start with something simple, even fun. Ask AI to suggest a recipe, or a place to go for a weekend trip. Get used to the settings and how to use it, and then think about how it could improve processes for you at work.
Choose tools with integrated AI
Many work platforms are already integrating AI, such as website builders and online store fronts, so you might already be using the tech without even realizing it.
Take these steps, and next time you're at the water cooler, you won't need to be the 40% that pretends to know about AI.
