Skills related to artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science remain in high demand, with companies scrambling to fill key roles in their pursuit of deep data insights to drive decision-making and to make the most of the promise of AI.
For those companies where AI is the key to the future, the skills shortage is of particular concern. CRM SaaS provider Salesforce definitely falls into that category. The company’s Einstein platform is one of the most common ways enterprises deploy AI tools and it has been proven effective as long as they follow sales force best practices, as for most companies, AI built into platforms they already use is a key means for leveraging this emerging technology.
According to IBM’s global AI adoption data, the single biggest barrier to AI adoption is a lack of skills, even as 43% of companies say they’re accelerating their rollout of AI as a result of the pandemic. For Salesforce, which this past year hit an earnings records, with growth of 24% to $21 billion in total sales, in some part thanks to its AI-powered Einstein platform, getting creative in pursuing AI and data science talent has been essential.
Einstein predictions went up from 1 billion a day in 2019 to 80 billion a day as of this past November, a feat that would not have been possible without a multiprong approach to finding and upskilling talent, says Marco Casalaina, senior vice president of product management and general manager of Einstein at Salesforce, one that includes tapping a range of talent pools beyond blue-chip universities.
