Written by Joe McKendrick – For IT professionals, it means delivering solutions rapidly to stay ahead of increasing fast business changes — the technical career track. “IT professionals should actively explore new tools like GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code, and others to stay on the cutting edge,” Challapally told ZDNET. In many organizations, I’ve seen developers quickly gain a reputation as 10x-coders simply by leveraging these tools effectively, and that advantage tends to persist even as others catch up.”

From a business perspective, generative AI cannot operate in a technical vacuum — AI-savvy subject matter experts are needed to adapt the technology to specific business requirements — that’s the domain expertise career track. “As AI models become more commoditized, specialized domain knowledge becomes increasingly valuable,” Challapally said. “What sets true experts apart is their deep understanding of their specific industry combined with the ability to identify where and how gen AI can be effectively applied within it.” Often, he warned, bots alone cannot relay such specific knowledge.

nterviewing 50 business leaders on their need for AI acumen, Challapally found that in-depth knowledge of AI is in high demand — and the needs for technical chops and business savvy are converging. “Leaders rated this as even more important than traditional project management or business-related duties like bringing a compelling product vision or coordinating well,” he said.

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