Jacob Kowalski
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AI Fluency - How to Become an AI Expert

AI Fluency - How to Become an AI Expert

From Newbie to AI Expert in 3 simple steps. Apply them and thrive in the AI-driven future!

Jacob Kowalski
August 23, 2025

Who am I?

Hello and welcome to my next article in the AI Knowledge Hub! 🙋‍♂️

My name is Jacob Kowalski - a corporate tax consultant from Poland who is really into AI stuff.

I create many really cool things with AI: chatbots, AI assistants, automations, agents, etc. 🤖

I think we are living through the biggest revolution of our generation and want to share my thoughts about it.

Maybe some of you will find it interesting, or maybe you want to share your take on this too.

If you want to know more about me and what I am doing, check out my page with the button below. 👇

From Zero to Hero!

Hi everyone! 👋

AI is with us for a long time now. ⌛

Some people could not imagine doing their tasks without the AI support. 🤖

However, the majority of people don't really know how to use and benefit from AI beyond using it like Google search, but AI offers so many more opportunities than this. 🔎

The fun part is that there are some myths or stereotypes that the person who knows how to use AI should be some developer or have some forbidden knowledge about it. 📖

The truth is that in order to learn basic AI you need only 3 skills that will put you ahead of 90% of people, which are not aware that AI is something more than just ChatGPT. 🗒️

Let’s get into it! 👇

The State of AI Right Now

AI is no longer only fun tool to chat with, AI has officially moved from "nice-to-have" to "business-critical" - and the numbers prove it. Tech headlines are declaring 2025 the "year of the AI agent," and for good reason.

Plenty of organization are integrating the AI Agents and use the Generative AI. The Stanford 2024 AI Index Report indicates that 55% of global organizations now use Generative AI in at least one business function since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in 2022.

The AI Agent market reached $5.4 billion in 2024 and projected to grow at 45.8% annually through 2030.

The coding world also has been completely transformed. AI now generates 41% of all code, with 256 billion lines written in 2024 alone. Tools like GitHub Copilot, CodeGPT, and Replit aren't just helping developers anymore - Coding Agents are revolutionizing application development, debugging, and testing by autonomously diagnosing issues, applying fixes, and managing testing environments.

Companies are deploying AI agents for everything. Oracle's suite of over 50 AI agents integrated into the Fusion Cloud revolutionize processes in finance, HR, supply chain management, and customer service - their document agent can capture vendor quotes, translate them, and generate purchase requests automatically.

Salesforce's Agentforce provides a "digital workforce" where humans and automated agents work together, handling complex tasks like simulating product launches and orchestrating marketing campaigns.

I know all of this sounds overwhelming but this is the state of AI in tech centres, the companies which are pioneers in the use of new technologies.

However in the smaller and less developed companies and countries, AI is slowly being implemented for everyday tasks, even as simple as an e-mail drafting help or research and analysis tool like Perplexity.

Why AI Is The Most Crucial Skill of Our Generation?

You can believe it or not but here's the harsh reality: AI has eliminated 77,999 jobs in 2025 alone, and 14% of workers have experienced job displacement due to AI.

While AI is displacing jobs, it's also boosting salaries by $18,000 a year everywhere else for those with AI skills. The median annual salary for AI roles in Q1 2025 rose to $156,998

The competition isn't sleeping. Many of businesses have indeed integrated AI into their operations and those who don't adapt are getting left behind. AI fluency isn't just about personal survival - it's about business competitive advantage.

The data is scary but clear. Unemployment rates among tech workers between 20 and 30 years old jumped by 3 percentage points since the start of this year and workers aged 18–24 are 129% more likely than those over 65 to worry AI will impact their careers. (Learn more how the AI can replace your job in this article)

But here's the opportunity: Lifelong learning and upskilling are now a top priority for 75% of employers in the U.S. Companies are desperately seeking AI-fluent employees.

You have two choices: Learn AI skills now and keep up with the technology advancements, or watch from the sidelines as your industry transforms without you.

Skill #1: Prompt Engineering

First and most important skill will be Prompt Engineering - basically a way you communicate with AI (more about Prompt Engineering with examples here).

Think of AI as a brilliant but literal assistant who needs clear instructions. Prompt engineering is simply the way of asking AI the right questions in the right way to get exactly what you need.

What Is A Prompt? A prompt is your instruction to AI. It's like giving directions to someone - the clearer you are, the better results you get.

Bad Prompt Example: "Write about marketing" (AI gives you generic, useless content)

Good Prompt Example: "Write a 200-word email to small business owners explaining why they should use social media marketing, include 3 specific benefits with examples, and end with a clear call-to-action to book a consultation." (AI gives you exactly what you need)

Why Prompt Engineering Matters: The same AI tool can give you garbage or gold - the difference is how you ask. Thats why learning the better way of asking questions will be beneficial for those who know how to use it properly, and prompt engineering is the foundation of that.

The Basic Formula:

Be Specific - Instead of "help with presentation," say "create 5 slide titles for a 10-minute presentation about AI benefits for restaurants"
Give Context - "I'm a marketing manager at a tech startup..."
Set Format - "Write as bullet points," "Make it 300 words," "Use conversational tone"
Include Examples - "Similar to this style..." or "Avoid corporate jargon"

Master this skill, and you've unlocked 80% of AI's power.

Skill #2: The AI Tools Overview

AI isn't just ChatGPT anymore. We're living in an explosion of AI tools - chatbots, image generators, video creators, coding assistants, voice clones, persona builders, research tools, and hundreds more categories you've probably never heard of.

The Moving Target Problem: AI tools change faster than fashion trends. New tools launch daily, existing ones get massive updates weekly, and what was cutting-edge last month might be obsolete today. Just in 2025, we've seen breakthroughs in AI video generation, autonomous coding agents, and business automation tools that didn't exist six months ago.

Why Tool Awareness Matters: You don't need to master every tool - that's impossible. But you need to know what's available and which tool solves which problem. It's like having a mental toolbox: you don't carry every tool, but you know what exists when you need it.

The Main Categories Right Now:

Text & Communication: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini
Visual Creation: Midjourney, DALL-E for images; Runway, Sora for videos
Coding & Development: GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Replit for programming, Claude, ChatGPT
Business Automation: Zapier AI, Make, n8n
Voice & Audio: ElevenLabs for voice cloning, Suno for music generation
Analysis & Research: Perplexity, NotebookLM for data insights

Instead of trying to learn every tool, focus on understanding capabilities. When someone mentions a business challenge, you should think: "There's probably an AI tool for that." Then you research, test, and recommend.

This knowledge alone will make you invaluable in any workplace - you become the person who knows what's possible with AI.

There is a website that has a list of every AI Tools available right now: https://theresanaiforthat.com - check it out and find some tools which you are most interested in.

Skill #3: Mastering Personal Toolstack

Here's where most people get it wrong: they try to use every AI tool they discover. That's like trying to learn 20 languages at once - you'll end up speaking none of them well.

The 5-Tool Rule: Instead of being a beginner at 50 tools, become an expert at 5. Pick the tools you'll actually use daily and master them completely. This focused approach will make you 10x more effective than someone who dabbles in everything.

How to Choose Your Arsenal:

Audit Your Daily Tasks - What do you spend most time on? Writing emails? Creating presentations? Research? Data analysis?
Map Tools to Tasks - Find one AI tool for each of your top 5 time-consuming activities
Test and Commit - Try 2-3 options for each category, then pick your favorite and stick with it for at least 30 days

Example Personal Toolstack (Marketing Manager):

Research: Perplexity (for market insights)
Writing: ChatGPT (for emails and content)
Design: Canva AI, Sora (for social media graphics)
Video: Loom AI (for presentations)
Automation: Zapier AI (for workflow connections)

Don't just use these tools - become a power user. Learn keyboard shortcuts, advanced features, and creative combinations. When you truly master 5 tools, you become the office AI expert by default.

Pick your 5 tools this week. Use them daily for 30 days. By month-end, you'll have AI skills that put you ahead of 90% of your peers.

Summary

That’s it for this article.

I hope by applying these steps you will become AI-fluent, or atleast have some broader perspective of what AI is capable of right now.

Please remember that, especially in AI, every day brings some new technology and tools, AI model are becoming more and more complex.

This is why constant learning and seeking for new, better way of doing things is the greatest skill you could ever learn.

Thanks for reading.

Jacob

Sources

I’ve prepared this article based on the sources listed below: