The short answer would be that ML and Data Science are currently leading the skill demand arena in terms of solving industry-relevant use cases along with other essential AI domains such as virtual agents and text analytics coming in close on the second. The answers can largely vary depending on changing landscapes and avenues. However, if one analyzes the industry with a pragmatic lens of technologies that are solving industry use cases, they would be presented with a list similar to the one mentioned below. This list highlights the topmost areas where AI, ML & Data science is being leveraged to solve actual problems.

·         Machine Learning for demand forecasting.

·         Data Science for clustering and identifying hidden buying patterns.

·         Virtual agents and chatbots for better customer service.

·         Text analytics to manage paperwork and documentation across domains.

·         NLP for better customer service and managing a huge amount of information.

You would be surprised as to why domains such as image analytics and deep learning are not featured in the list above. After all, we hear about self-driving cars and image detection use cases all the time. If you analyze the industry as a large landscape then only a fraction of organizations are currently leveraging speech and image analytics to solve complex problems. The problem is not with adoption but with the accuracy scores of such technologies. We still have to run multiple iterations and improvements before these technologies can be fully autonomous. We still use these technologies to augment human skills and not to replace them. If one is looking for opportunities in the current landscape the above list features the most prominent areas where most organizations are working towards. Since such technologies cut across domains, you would find multiple opportunities. These opportunities can be in Retail, Finance, Oil & Gas, etc. However, if you are hunting for opportunities that are still a niche, then you would need a specialized skill set in a highly experimental and innovative domain.

Certifications and focused programmes can help a student in developing these skills at an exponential pace. Since these certifications are focused and practical to industry use, the students who successfully passed are total industry-ready. Such skills are in high demand and one must leverage the growing landscape within AI & Data science to produce better products and services.