ZDNETWith the ever-growing reliance on AI in the workplace, more employers are seeking employees with the necessary experience and skills. Employment data cited by The Wall Street Journal found that almost one in four US tech jobs posted so far this year are looking for people with AI skills. But what precisely does that mean?Also: 10 key reasons AI went mainstream overnight – and what happens nextIn some cases, companies are looking for developers who can build and design the required AI tools and platforms. In other cases, they want IT professionals who can manage and support their AI systems. And in other cases, organizations need people who can incorporate AI into their regular job duties. Whatever the specific need, it’s been growing. AI-related tech positions have doubled in a few yearsThe information sector, for example, includes many major tech players heavily involved in AI development and deployment. Here, 36% of the IT jobs posted in January were related to AI, according to data from UMD-LinkUp AI Maps, a collaborative effort to map the creation of AI jobs. In the areas of finance and professional services, banks, consulting firms, and other companies are seeking employees who know how to build or use AI algorithms and models. Also: The most critical job skill you need to thrive in the AI revolutionAmong other industries, open IT jobs have become more focused on AI. As an example cited by the WSJ, only a small number of open healthcare positions are considered tech jobs. But the volume of new tech positions seen in January that are AI-related was almost double that of a few years ago. Before the recent AI boom, jobs that involved work with artificial intelligence and machine learning naturally existed. But the demand started to rise following the debut of ChatGPT at the end of 2022. Created by the people behind UMD-LinkUp AI Maps, a white paper titled “Diffusion of AI Jobs Across Economic Sectors” illustrates the shift in job postings, both in general and in AI. More