How to Stay Current in Solution Architecture Trends

Want to future-proof your career and start leveraging AI? Here's how I did it, ranked from easiest to most ambitious: 1️⃣ 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘂𝗽 𝗼�� 𝗔𝗜 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀, 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 • 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗: https://lnkd.in/eT-nzYP9 I recommend Heather Murray 's AI for Non-Techies Newsletter. It's a fun treasure trove of useful information. • 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗕𝗟𝗘 𝗨𝗦𝗘: AI (Generative AI especially) is not infallible. Learn about the mistakes it can make, the issues it can cause, and how to navigate them. • 𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧 (𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸): For $15/mo, Canva is an amazing option because you can test alot of current capabilities. For $20/mo, Microsoft Copilot Pro can be added to your Office 365 account. Also for $20/mo, Google offers AI premium for your workspace (GMail, Docs, Sheets, etc). 2️⃣ 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗔𝗜-𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀. If your company offers access to AI tools, get access and use them according to their use policy. If not, create sample scenarios at home and practice. 3️⃣ 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗜 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Share that you're interested in learning more in your field. Ask if coworkers or your LinkedIn network if anyone incorporated AI into their work. Offer to continue to learn together. 4️⃣ 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗜 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘆𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀. There's no shortage of free webinars, conferences, etc. talking about AI. Get involved. 5️⃣ 𝗘𝗻𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗜 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱. Professional organizations and technology vendors offer lots of free training for specific use cases. 6️⃣ 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗜 𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁. Talk to your manager about opportunities. Make it one of your professional goals to stand out. If they aren't there, contact your professional or volunteer organizations. 7️⃣ 𝗣𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀-𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. Use what you've learned to pitch an opportunity to create value at your company, your professional, or your volunteer organizations. Do these make sense for you? How are you going about it? #artificialintelligence #innovation #changemanagement #technology #digitaltransformation

Here’s an insider’s tip for staying tapped into AI change: make an AI bake-off part of your daily routine. I pit my of-the-moment favs against each other continually, and I have to admit my love for them changes as quickly as they do. The velocity of change is staggering, and I see the models performing (in an oddly human way) differently, at times, day to day. Sometimes it is capabilities going up or strangely, down. Other times it’s clear changes in the pre-prompt instructions (a set of prompts that the model has to abide by in returning responses), for better or worse. I’ve found this is not only the best way to see changes as it happens, but to get the most value from my robot minions 😊 It adds mere seconds to add an AI bake-off to your routine. Pick your favorite 2-3 tools and keep a browser open for each. Right now, I am running every prompt through both GPT-4 and Claude 3, with a Perplexity window constantly open for questions. Companies are doing bake-offs too. While initially, the enterprise may have been experimenting with a single model or two, now many are testing multiple models so that they can be thoughtful about which use cases they channel to which model (cost vs. performance is often a factor), and to tap into changes as the whole space continues to move rapidly. >>>> What are the tools you are most excited about today? >>>> Any tips or ideas to be smart and efficient with AI bake-offs? _________ Hi 👋 I’m Alison McCauley. I’ll be diving more into the challenges and opportunities of AI change in future posts. Follow me for more on being human at the AI crossroads 🙋♂️ 🤖 💡 #ai #artificialintelligence #innovation

How Do You Keep Learning and Growing as an AI Strategist? Continuous learning and growth are essential when playing the AI game,. To stay ahead, you must embrace a dynamic approach that combines self-assessment, mentorship, learning actions, practice, and reflection. Here's a roadmap to fuel your growth: 1️⃣ Assess Your Power and Potential 🔥 Self-Reflection: Start by taking stock of your existing skills and knowledge. What are your strengths in AI strategy? Where do you see gaps? 🔥 Skill Auditing: Regularly assess the AI landscape. What new technologies and trends are emerging? Identify areas where your skills need an upgrade to remain relevant. 🔥 Competitor Analysis: Benchmark against industry leaders. What strategies are they employing? What can you learn from their successes? 2️⃣ Seek Feedback, Partners, and Mentors 🔥 Peer Reviews: Collaborate with peers and seek their feedback. Constructive criticism can help refine your strategies and approaches. 🔥 Mentorship: Establish mentorship relationships with experienced AI strategists. Their guidance and insights can be invaluable on your journey. How can you make the most of your mentor's knowledge? 🔥 Networking: Attend conferences, webinars, and industry events to connect with thought leaders. Every conversation is a chance to gain knowledge. 3️⃣ Learn, Learn, Learn, and Learn 🔥 Continuous Education: Enroll in courses and certifications to stay updated. The AI field evolves rapidly, and formal education can be a valuable asset. 🔥 Read and Research: Regularly read AI literature and research papers. Being well-informed is key to making informed strategic decisions. 🔥 Hackathons and Challenges: Participate in AI hackathons and challenges. Hands-on experience sharpens your problem-solving skills. 4️⃣ Practice and Experiment 🔥 Real-World Application: Apply AI strategies in real-world scenarios. Experimentation and learning from failures are essential steps toward mastery. 🔥 Pilot Projects: Launch small AI projects to test new ideas. These pilot initiatives can provide valuable insights before full-scale implementation. 🔥 Cross-Functional Teams: Collaborate with experts from different domains. Their diverse perspectives can lead to innovative AI solutions. 5️⃣ Assess Yourself. 🔥 Progress review: Periodically assess your progress. Are you meeting your learning and growth goals? Adjust your strategies as needed. 🔥 Feedback Loop: Incorporate feedback from your experiences. What worked well? What needs improvement? Use this feedback to refine your AI strategies. 🔥Goal Monitoring: Continuously set new AI strategy goals. Growth is an ongoing journey, and each milestone achieved is an opportunity to set the bar higher. AI strategy, growth and learning are lifelong companions. By following this roadmap, you'll not only keep pace but thrive as an AI strategist. #AI #Strategy #artificialintelligence #leadership #motivation

Take a shot every time AI drops something jaw-dropping. New startups launching daily. OpenAI rolling out updates faster than you can refresh your feed. Tools saving hours of work before your coffee even kicks in. I’d be three shots deep today, just from reading headlines. But jokes aside, AI’s pace isn’t just fast, it’s relentless. It’s reshaping industries, workflows, and how we approach problem-solving. You don’t need a bar tab to keep up, but you do need a strategy. Here’s a simple one: ✔ Pick one AI update a week—a new tool, a feature release, a product launch ✔ Spend 15 minutes understanding how it works ✔ Test it on a small, low-risk task (draft an email, summarize a doc, brainstorm content) It’s not about chasing every shiny new thing. It’s about building a habit of curiosity, so you can spot patterns and opportunities early. What’s the latest AI surprise that’s caught your attention? Drop it in the comments. I want to know what’s on your radar. #AI #innovation #curiosity #futureofwork #tools