AI is no longer a buzzword. It has emerged as a driving force capable of transforming industries. AI can be found everywhere, from autonomous vehicles to marketing, education, and healthcare.
Businesses are using AI to improve innovation and efficiency. This has skyrocketed the demand for AI specialists.
If you are a tech enthusiast or someone looking forward to pursuing a career in this field, you should consider this role. This article will serve as a guide, informing you about how to become an AI specialistand other related details.
Table of Contents
What is Artificial Intelligence?
Before moving on to how to become an AI specialist, let’s get an overview of what AI is.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a technology that allows machines to demonstrate human-like capabilities and reasoning. By assimilating large amounts of data, AI learns to spot trends and patterns, recognise speech, predict future occurrences and conditions, and proactively solve problems.
Organisations generate substantial amounts of data in the modern digital landscape from user interactions, system logs, and sensors. AI can streamline organisational operations by harnessing this data.
Besides this, there are several real-world applications of AI. This includes stock market analysis, loan risk assessments and fraud detection in the field of finance. Then there are robotic surgeries and AI-powered diagnostics in the healthcare industry.
Know about the Benefits of Artificial Intelligence in Business | Know More!
Why Become an AI Specialist?
There are several reasons to choose the AI specialist role as one’s career option. Firstly, there is an exponential growth of AI adoption across multiple sectors. This has resulted in a high demand for skilled professionals, including AI specialists in this field. These professionals will likely see further growth in their demand in the near future.
AI specialists also receive attractive offers for salaries and benefits, given their high demand.
Besides these, you will get the opportunity to learn new skills as the field of AI is rapidly evolving. In the same context, you will also get to work on projects that have the potential to push the boundaries of technology.
Read: Top 10 Key Roles of Artificial Intelligence in Business Education
What Does an AI Specialist Do?
An AI specialist is responsible for developing, deploying and designing AI and machine learning models to optimise business processes and solve complex issues.
They often collaborate with cross-functional teams to collect data, train and build models, implement AI solutions and identify AI opportunities to enhance services, operations and products.
AI specialists monitor how the deployed AI solutions are performing. They also fine-tune models as necessary to enhance efficiency and accuracy.
Their job role also involves documenting AI methodologies, code and models to maintain a knowledge base and ensuring proper knowledge transfer. AI specialists prepare presentations and reports to communicate AI insights, recommendations and results to the stakeholders.
Also read: Advantages and Disadvantages of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Key Skills Required to Become an AI Specialist
Mastering the right skills is important for aspiring AI specialists in order to stay competitive in this rapidly changing field. This makes it even more essential to understand the top AI specialist skills that are required. It is important to note that these skills encompass both technical and non-technical expertise.
Let’s take a closer look at these skills.
Technical Skills Every AI Specialist Should Master
Technical proficiency is of utmost importance for an AI specialist role. These skills are essential to be successful in this role. Employers across multiple sectors are seeking individuals who possess strong technical expertise. Individuals searching “how to become an AI specialist” must take note of the technical skills given below:
Programming skills
A strong grasp of programming languages such as R, Java, and Python is a must. By mastering these languages, AI specialists can implement complex algorithms and write efficient, clean code.
Data Analysis and Management
AI specialists need to be adept at analysing and handling large datasets. Having a skill set in data wrangling, data visualisation and data mining is crucial. AI specialists will be able to interpret and manage data effectively if they possess knowledge of SQL and have experience with big data technologies.
Proficiency in AI Libraries and Frameworks
Being proficient in AI libraries and frameworks is fundamental for the AI specialist job role. Familiarity with tools such as TensorFlow and PyTorch improves an AI specialist’s ability to develop, optimise, and design algorithms efficiently. These tools are the industry standards for developing and deploying AI models.
Non-Technical Skills That Complement AI Expertise
In addition to technical skills, AI specialists must possess key soft skills that facilitate innovation and effective collaboration. These skills can give you the edge in the competitive job market. Soft skills are not nice-to-haves anymore. They are essential to excel in one’s career.
Hence, if you are someone trying to understand how to become an AI specialist, you should take note of the following skills:
Effective Communication Skills
AI specialists should know how to explain the complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders. Clear, concise verbal and written communication skills are necessary to explain model limitations and present findings.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration Skills
AI projects involve teams of specialists coming from diverse backgrounds. These include business analysts and data scientists. To be successful, it is important to have the ability to collaborate across disciplines. AI specialists should know how to work harmoniously with others, be willing to share knowledge, and be open to feedback.
Mentoring skills
The demand for educated individuals is on the rise as AI continues to grow. AI specialists with mentoring skills can help develop the next generation of AI talent. In addition, guiding newcomers and sharing expertise can help reinforce one’s own skills and knowledge.
Educational Requirements for AI Specialists
In addition to the skills mentioned above, AI specialists also require some specific educational qualifications. Individuals searching for “how to become an AI specialist” must be aware of the educational requirements for this role.
There are multiple academic pathways one can pursue if looking to explore this role.
Have a look at them here:
- Bachelor’s Degree: You can start with a bachelor’s degree in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Data Science, or related fields.
- Master’s Degree: To specialise further, you can pursue advanced studies in AI or Machine Learning, Computer Science, Data Science, or related fields.
Additionally, you can pursue a doctorate for academic positions and research roles.
You can also consider taking several online programmes and certifications from reputable platforms.
Joining the Regenesys School of AI can also help you gain the necessary educational qualifications and skill set.
AI Programmes and Certifications for Beginners
The beginner-level AI programmes equip learners with the core concepts of artificial intelligence. These include model behaviour, prediction tasks or simple classification and machine learning basics.
Individuals taking these programmes can build their skill set in evaluation methods, data handling, and understand how AI systems make decisions. Several of these programmes introduce beginner-friendly libraries or tools, such as Python, that allow experimentation with foundational AI techniques.
If you are looking to build a solid foundation in artificial intelligence in South Africa, the Regenesys School of AI offers practical, workplace-focused learning that equips professionals with the skills needed to apply AI effectively in real-world settings.
Advanced AI Programmes and Specialisations
The advanced-level AI programmes tend to be more practical, thought-provoking and rigorous. These may require learners to handle a heavier workload and more challenging course material. Hence, students looking forward to advanced programmes must ensure that they have a solid foundational knowledge.
Some advanced AI programmes emphasise recent breakthroughs and current research trends. There are other programmes which focus more on emerging areas in AI and theoretical concepts.
Individuals searching for “how to become an AI specialist” and seeking an advanced-level AI programme provider in South Africa can consider the Regenesys School of AI.
Roadmap to Becoming an AI Specialist
Beginners looking to become AI specialists may feel clueless if they do not know how to proceed. If you are searching for “how to become an AI specialist”, there is a clear roadmap for the same. Following a step-by-step approach can help individuals carry out the process seamlessly.
Have a look at the steps below:
Step 1: Learn the Fundamentals of AI and Machine Learning
Start by learning the fundamentals of machine learning and AI. You can take up beginner-level AI programmes to gain an understanding of this field. Several AI specialists start by pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Artificial Intelligence or Computer Science.
Formal education equips you with both the practical and conceptual foundation necessary for developing AI systems.
Step 2: Gain Hands-On Experience with AI Tools and Platforms
After having developed a foundation for analytical skills, it is necessary that you gain hands-on experience with AI platforms and tools.
You can start by taking on manageable AI projects to become familiar with applying concepts. For instance, you can try creating an image recognition app to get an idea about computer vision techniques or developing a sentiment analysis tool to explore how text data can be processed.
Step 3: Specialise in a Subfield (NLP, Computer Vision, Robotics, etc.)
Consider specialising in a subfield such as NLP, Computer Vision, Robotics, etc.
NLP emphasises teaching machines to process and understand human language. Computer Vision makes systems capable of interpreting videos and images. Robotics helps perform intelligent tasks across industries by integrating AI into physical systems.
The subfields contribute to specific sectors. Specialising can help aim for particular industries.
Step 4: Build a Portfolio of AI Projects
A solid portfolio highlights your expertise and demonstrates that you can solve real-world business issues with AI. You can highlight your top projects with a clear overview of their challenges, outcomes and objectives. Explain your approach towards every project, the AI tools and techniques you used and the methodologies you applied.
Step 5: Apply for AI Specialist Roles
You can now finally look forward to applying for AI specialist roles. You can search for these roles in South Africa through the different job portals.
Additionally, you can connect with professionals in this field and join LinkedIn groups focused on AI. Besides helping to develop valuable relationships, networking can also help you gain in-depth insights.
AI Tools and Platforms Every AI Specialist Should Know
Individuals searching “how to become an AI specialist” must note that as a professional in this role, you should be familiar with various tools, languages and platforms. Knowing about these can help you set goals towards getting a hands-on experience with them.
Have a look at them:
- SQL: Essential for managing and retrieving large-scale datasets.
- MATLAB: Used in academic research.
- Python: Widely used for data science and machine learning projects.
- PyTorch and TensorFlow: Frameworks for developing deep learning models.
- R: Used for data visualisation and statistical analysis.
- Google Colab: A platform used for collaborative AI model creation.
Industries Hiring AI Specialists in 2026
There are several industries that have grown into prominent drivers of AI innovation. Many are going through a transformativе shift through the wide adoption of AI technology.
As a result, AI specialists can find employment opportunities in various sectors in 2026. This certainly comes as a positive sign for all those searching for “how to become an AI specialist”.
It is essential for job seekers to be aware of these sectors so they can take necessary steps to target roles within them.
Here are the different industries hiring AI specialists:
- Banking and Finance
- Information Technology (IT) and Software Services
- Healthcare
- E-commerce
- Manufacturing
- Education
- Automotive
- Retail
- Media and Entertainment
- Energy
Salary Trends for AI Specialists
Potential job seekers, especially those searching for “how to become an AI specialist,” should understand the salary trends for this role.
According to the Economic Research Institute, the average salary of an AI Specialist in South Africa is ZAR 929,830 as of January 2026.
There will likely be a trend toward higher salary figures for this role. According to the ERI platform, the estimated salary for AI specialists in South Africa in 2031 will be ZAR 1,087,907.
Individuals must note that salary figures can vary by job location and hierarchy level.
Tips to Stay Updated in the Rapidly Evolving AI Field
AI is a rapidly evolving field with a high rate of development that is reflected in both real-world applications and research. This creates endless opportunities to contribute and innovate. At the same time, it is also important to stay updated with the latest developments.
Here are some tips that can be helpful for all those looking for how to become an AI specialist and willing to enter this field:
- Gain access to AI podcasts
- Check out blogs and news platforms related to AI
- Use social media to gain AI knowledge
- Enrol in online programmes, AI conferences and webinars
- Subscribe to updates from the AI tools and applications
- Follow relevant hashtags like #AInews and #ArtificialIntelligence across platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
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Conclusion
If you are searching for “how to become an AI specialist,” you should know that it is a rewarding career option.
Mastering the required skills and gaining hands-on experience with AI tools are some of the steps that bring you closer to this fulfilling job role.
Through structured learning, practice, and proactive networking, you can find yourself in a well-placed position in this field.
Choose Regenesys Education as your learning partner to gain the necessary skills that set you apart from the competition. Contact us today to know more.
FAQs
What is the qualification for an AI specialist?
In general, the educational qualification required for an AI specialist role includes a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field.
How much are AI specialists paid?
According to the Economic Research Institute, the average salary of an AI Specialist in South Africa is ZAR 929,588 as of January 2026.
Are AI specialists in demand?
Yes, AI specialists are in demand, with the field experiencing rapid growth across industries.
What skills are needed to be an AI specialist?
The skills required for an AI specialist include programming skills, proficiency in AI libraries and frameworks, communication skills and mentoring skills.
Which course is best for AI specialists?
The most appropriate course for AI specialists depends on your individual goals. You can take a beginner-level or advanced-level course related to AI or start with a bachelor’s degree programme in AI, Computer Science, Data Science, or related fields. Then you can specialise with a master’s programme.
