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Head of AI roles tripled since 2018

Businesses and employees are embracing AI according to LinkedIn's research

Head of AI positions have tripled globally in the last five years, while job posts mentioning AI have more than doubled (2.3x) in the UK in the last two years, according to new research from LinkedIn.

A third (31%) of UK executives said generative AI will create new roles at their organisation.

The study also found 81% of business leaders in the UK think generative AI will benefit their employees, by removing boring, repetitive tasks (64%), increasing productivity (52%) and freeing up time for bigger and more creative thinking (59%). 

Luke Mckend, senior director at LinkedIn told HR magazine: AI is changing the world of work, and we’re already seeing that the technology is reshaping jobs, companies and entire industries. 

“There is real potential for AI to remove the drudgery of day-to-day work, but to achieve this potential, businesses will need to lean on their HR teams to boost AI literacy through skills development, as well as rolling out guidelines on how the technology will be used.”


Read more: Asking if AI is smarter than us is the wrong approach


LinkedIn has seen an 80% increase in members watching AI-related learning courses on LinkedIn over the last three months and a 60% increase in generative AI skills being added to members’ profiles since January 2023. 

Stephanie Coward, managing director of human capital management at Iris Software Group, said employers and employees should continue embracing AI.

She told HR magazine: “If I was a head of AI, I would be ensuring that we create a culture of learning and experimentation when it comes to AI.

“Creating an internal sandbox where people can freely test and experiment with AI in a controlled environment is a great way to allow experimentation in a safe way. 

“The potential benefits for job enrichment and business efficiency cannot be ignored so enabling employees to apply it to their roles is vital.”

AI also has the potential to solve skills gaps, according to Carol Leaman, CEO and co-founder of Axonify.

Research from the CIPD found 41% of employers are struggling to fill vacancies, with 24% planning to use automation to address them.

Speaking to HR magazine, Leaman said: “In the context of frontline work, AI has a tremendous opportunity to help frontline organisations recognise skills gaps and fill them, even proactively, by optimising upskilling and cross-skilling across a workforce. 

“There’s even more potential around staffing and shifts to ensure that skilled workers are being leveraged in the most effective, efficient and relevant way through tech like AI.” 


Read more: AI potential outweighs employee fears globally


LinkedIn used an online survey completed by LinkedIn members (at the VP-level or above) over 6-18 September, 2023 and included 1,069 LinkedIn members in Europe.