AI may not replace you, but someone who uses it can — here's the No.1 skill you need to stay relevant

Today's winners are learning how to leverage artificial intelligence to stay competitive and relevant — employees and businesses alike.

"AI is not going to replace you. You're going to be replaced by someone who uses AI to outperform you," said Laurence Liew, director for AI Innovation at AI Singapore, during a panel discussion at Salesforce's World Tour Essentials event in Singapore.

While a lot of professionals (45%) worry AI will replace their job, the majority (55%) of leaders are concerned about a lack of talent to fill roles, according to the 2024 Microsoft Work Trends Index.

There is a dearth of talent, and consequently a huge opportunity for people who can learn AI skills, with as many 71% of corporate leaders saying they'd prefer a less experienced candidate with AI skills over a more experienced one without them, according to the report.

While AI has been the talk of the town ever since the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT in November 2022, big companies have been slow to integrate the technology and help upskill their talent pools.

There is a gap in the modern workplace between what appears necessary and what is seemingly feasible.

While 79% of executives believe their company should adopt AI to stay competitive, the pressure to generate immediate returns on investment has slowed AI transition, according to the Microsoft study.

As a result, employees around the world are taking matters into their own hands, learning to use AI tools on their own. While upskilling on AI at home can lead to a competitive edge, it also poses a few problems.

Experts say one of the biggest issues with upskilling on AI at home is that many people don't know how to do it safely and effectively.

To the naked eye, there are many "free" AI resources