Artificial intelligence-based technologies are rapidly evolving, and a new type of job is taking the tech industry by storm.
Prompt engineering, as it is known, is a field that now pays six-figure salaries to employees and does not necessarily require a degree in computer engineering or advanced coding skills.
What Is Prompt Engineering?
As generative AI technology advances, companies seek prompt engineers to train the AI tools to provide accurate and relevant responses to real-world questions.
These engineers contribute to maximizing the potential of new large language models, which can produce results that are only sometimes appropriate or correct.
Wanted: Prompt Engineer
According to LinkedIn data gathered by TIME, job postings for prompt engineering increased by 51% between 2021 and 2022, with the number of posts referring to generative AI increasing 36-fold over the previous year.
Furthermore, some companies are offering salaries as high as $335,000 to fill immediate engineering positions.
No Technical Background Required
Even those with no technical or computer science background can pursue a career in prompt engineering.
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Time tells us that Boston Children's Hospital and consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton recently advertised for prompt engineering jobs, with Booz Allen Hamilton offering up to $212,000 for applicants with more than three years of experience implementing machine learning models.
Amid some backlash, actor, and musician Donald Glover is also looking for a prompt engineer and prompt animator for his new creative studio. Read more about Glover's job posting from this report by Hypebae.
Top Firms on the Lookout
Bloomberg reported that Anthropic, an artificial intelligence safety and research firm, is looking for a "prompt engineer and librarian" with a salary range of $175,000 to $335,000.
The CEO of OpenAI and developer of ChatGPT, Sam Altman himself, has spoken about the need for prompt engineers. He tweeted in February that "writing a really great prompt for a chatbot persona is an amazingly high-leverage skill."
Are prompt engineers not engineers?
Some prompt engineers do not consider themselves engineers, and there is debate about whether a special skill is required or if it simply involves a lot of time spent with chatbots.
However, experts believe the hype surrounding prompt engineering will likely fade as AI becomes more powerful and can generate its own prompts.
Despite this, prompt engineering is one of the few AI jobs that does not necessarily require a technical background, making it accessible to those with humanities backgrounds.
Insider tells us that Anna Bernstein, a prompt engineer at the New York-based generative AI firm Copy.ai, studied English in college and worked as a copywriter and a historical research assistant before becoming a prompt engineer.
Prompt engineering is a lucrative and emerging field in artificial intelligence. As the demand for this skill set grows, those without a traditional tech background may find themselves able to pivot into a career in prompt engineering, increasing the diversity of talent in the tech industry.
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