$66.8 billion.
That was the value of the global AI industry in 2021, according to a report from the International Trade Administration. That same year, a record number of 65 AI companies reached unicorn status, marking a 442 percent increase from the following year.
And that all happened before the public release of ChatGPT; a product that’s so impactful, researchers at OpenAI and the University of Pennsylvania predict it will eventually affect 80 percent of the U.S. workforce.
Needless to say, learning how to leverage AI at work isn’t just an interesting idea for the world’s technologists — it has nearly become a requirement. That’s why many tech job seekers are looking for workplaces where they can sharpen their AI skills through hands-on experience and additional growth opportunities.
And luckily for them, companies across the country offer just that. From large-scale projects to immersive training programs, these employers offer aspiring AI experts the chance to build their knowledge of the technology and apply it to their day-to-day work.
Built In caught up with team members at FourKites, Sojern and 8th Light to learn how their companies are leveraging AI now and how this focus enables technologists to jumpstart their AI careers.
FourKites’ platform offers organizations visibility into their supply chains, providing shipment arrival time calculations.
How is FourKites leveraging AI right now, and where does your company hope to grow in this area?
We use a mix of enterprise, open-source and custom-built AI tools. This approach gives us the flexibility to meet our business needs while balancing factors such as cost and customization. In our engineering workflow, we’ve integrated these tools to boost quality and ease of use from the start of ticket creation. We use an open-source plugin for Jira to ensure high-quality tickets go into the sprint. Once a developer starts working on a ticket, we use tools, such as GitHub Copilot, to help write code and unit tests. Our testers have created in-house workflows that use ticket descriptions and acceptance criteria to automatically generate test cases and code.
We use these tools in our processes as much as possible, making them easy to adopt while providing increased efficiency and enhanced capabilities. We’re always looking for new ways to expand our AI capabilities, tailoring experiences for each group and addressing specific needs. This ongoing effort not only boosts our internal productivity, but also helps our clients by automating the identification of bug root causes.
What mentorship, training, education and support opportunities are in place for AI technologists at FourKites?
We have a thorough onboarding and training program for all engineers, regardless of their background. This ensures everyone understands the basics of our tools and development processes for building our own tools. The program includes LinkedIn courses and articles that provide a solid grasp of the tools we use. To cap off the training, each engineer must complete a project, chosen by their team manager, that can be solved using AI. This hands-on experience helps everyone get comfortable with both basic and advanced concepts needed in our AI-driven workplace.
The rapid progress in generative AI has made creating tools more accessible than ever. Engineers can now build solutions that were once thought impossible or limited to research. Our training helps every team member understand not just the technical side of these tools, but also gives them the confidence to use them in real-world situations. By investing in this training and mentorship, we set up our engineers to contribute to projects from day one, helping them grow personally while driving innovation for the company.
“We have a thorough onboarding and training program for all engineers, regardless of their background.”
What does continuous learning and project support look like on your engineering teams, and what makes FourKites a good choice for technologists fairly new to AI?
Beyond our structured training and project support, we foster a strong sense of community within our dev teams. We hold monthly group meetings and have dedicated Slack channels where team members share success stories, swap new insights and discuss the latest AI developments. These spaces create a collaborative environment that encourages ongoing learning and helps engineers stay up to date on best practices and new trends.
We put a big emphasis on mentorship and knowledge-sharing. Each business unit is encouraged to have its own data scientist in addition to our main data science team. This helps them move quickly with AI advancements. Our senior engineers actively guide junior engineers, offering feedback and real-world advice to speed up the learning curve for those new to AI. We also support learning through access to top-notch tools, webinars, research papers and regular AI workshops from our partners at AWS, Azure, MongoDB and others. This mix of community, mentorship and ongoing education makes our company a great place for those early in their AI careers to grow, try new things and succeed.
8th Light is a software design and development company that builds digital solutions for a diverse range of organizations, from pharmaceutical giants to food-delivery companies.
How is 8th Light leveraging AI right now, and where does your company hope to grow in this area?
We aim to use the right tool for the job, and to that end, AI is just another tool we might use. We’re in an experimentation phase of identifying where and how AI can be applied productively and ethically for our clients in ways that also align with our values. We have integrated text completion and image analysis APIs for some client projects, and ChatGPT is helpful for general ideation and iteration in problem-solving.
“We’re in an experimentation phase of identifying where and how AI can be applied productively and ethically for our clients in ways that also align with our values.”
What mentorship, training, education and support opportunities are in place for AI technologists at 8th Light?
We currently have a cross-domain cohort of employees participating in an interactive and collaborative generative AI course that we designed from the ground up. We’re also providing access to external learning management system courses on the topic as well. Our internal guidelines on the use of AI take a holistic view that helps to distill a well-rounded appreciation of the possibilities and risks of AI.
What does continuous learning and project support look like on your engineering teams, and what makes 8th Light a good choice for technologists fairly new to AI?
Engineers, also known as “crafters,” at 8th Light are granted an annual time and monetary budget for independent or small group learning and development. More recently, we’ve introduced the option for structured group learning, like the aforementioned AI cohort. In my experience, people here are universally happy to help as well, which makes learning an enjoyable experience.
Sojern’s platform enables travel companies to activate multichannel branding and guest experience solutions.
How is Sojern leveraging AI right now, and where does your company hope to grow in this area?
Our team is actively engaged in a diverse range of AI projects. Among these, our AI Concierge stands out as a prominent initiative. This sophisticated AI bot serves as a virtual assistant for hotel guests, capable of answering inquiries, fulfilling requests for amenities and accessories, handling reservations and even initiating the checkout process on behalf of the guest.
To power our analytics capabilities, we leverage the potential of machine learning and generative AI. These technologies enable us to delve deep into data, extract meaningful insights and produce comprehensive reports. For our AI infrastructure, we rely on Google’s robust platforms: DialogFlow for natural language understanding and Vertex AI for a comprehensive AI development environment.
As we move forward, our strategic plan involves integrating Gen AI into all core features of our product. This includes enhancing the capabilities of our AI Concierge, refining our analytics tools and guest segmentation, optimizing campaigns and enabling more targeted guest interactions.
“As we move forward, our strategic plan involves integrating Gen AI into all core features of our product.”
What mentorship, training, education and support opportunities are in place for AI technologists at Sojern?
Our organization has established a specialized data science team dedicated to research and development in the field of Gen AI. To ensure seamless integration of this technology across our teams and products, we’ve implemented a comprehensive adoption program. Recognizing the rapid advancements in Gen AI, we’ve forged a strategic partnership with Google’s Gen AI team. This team’s expertise is invaluable in guiding our efforts, evaluating emerging technologies and accelerating our adoption of the latest breakthroughs in this space.
To foster a culture of continuous learning and skill development, we’ve actively participated in a variety of training sessions and hands-on tutorials offered by Google’s training team. These initiatives have equipped our team members with the necessary knowledge and practical skills to effectively leverage Gen AI tools and techniques.
Within our organization, we have a dedicated group of engineers who specialize in the Gen AI technologies we’re utilizing. Their role extends beyond technical expertise; they also serve as mentors, providing guidance and support to their colleagues.
What does continuous learning and project support look like on your engineering teams, and what makes Sojern a good choice for technologists fairly new to AI?
Our team is committed to fostering a culture of continuous learning and collaboration. This is particularly important as we strive to integrate Gen AI across our entire product suite. To achieve this goal, we have a team of engineers who work on Gen AI technologies. They serve as valuable resources, providing guidance, mentorship and technical support to their colleagues. Recognizing the rapidly evolving nature of AI, we prioritize ongoing training programs for our team members. This includes both internal workshops and external courses designed to keep us up to date with the latest advancements in Gen AI.
We provide a nurturing environment where you can develop your skills, contribute meaningfully to innovative projects and be part of a team that’s at the forefront of Gen AI technology. As a relatively small team, we’ve cultivated a collaborative and inclusive environment. New members can easily acclimate and find their place within the team.
