AI skills training reached two million people in 2024, a full year ahead of schedule, and the lessons learned are reshaping how companies approach workforce development.
For many organisations, artificial intelligence is no longer a speculative frontier. It is a core competency. Yet despite the mounting importance of AI, the global talent pool has not kept pace. A joint study by AWS and Access Partnership found that while 73 percent of employers prioritise hiring AI-skilled talent, 75 percent say they struggle to find it.
That disconnect spurred Amazon to launch its AI Ready initiative in 2023. The goal was to offer free AI skills training to two million people worldwide by 2025. The company surpassed that target in 2024, a milestone that reflects the overwhelming demand for education in generative AI and its real-world applications.
The training effort did more than meet a number. It revealed how individuals and companies are rethinking the role of AI in daily work and how leaders can respond to a rapidly shifting skills landscape. These are the four most important lessons.
1. Generative AI is now everyone’s business
The past year marked a significant change in how AI is perceived across the workforce. Once confined to engineering teams, generative AI has become a versatile tool used by professionals in marketing, customer service, operations and more.
The most popular course in the AI Ready catalogue was Introduction to Generative AI – The Art of the Possible. It was designed for a general audience, not for technical experts. The course explored use cases, risks and benefits in accessible language. This widespread interest signals a cultural shift. Employees across sectors are not waiting for IT to adopt AI. They are eager to understand and apply it themselves.
2. Prompt engineering has become a core skill
One of the clearest patterns to emerge from the training programme was the popularity of prompt engineering. This skill, once seen as niche, is now critical.
The ability to craft clear and strategic prompts is key to unlocking the full potential of generative AI. In 2024, AWS saw strong demand for training on how to structure prompts that produce reliable, high-quality outputs. As more departments integrate generative AI into daily tasks, prompt engineering has become a requirement rather than a bonus skill.
3. Social media can accelerate upskilling
Reaching people where they already spend time was another factor in the programme’s success. Nearly one million learners accessed AI training through platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitch and AWS Training Live.
These platforms allow users to engage with content on their own terms. Social media proved to be an effective delivery mechanism for quick, scalable instruction. While deep technical skills still require more structured learning through programmes like AWS Skill Builder, social media helps build awareness and reinforce knowledge in accessible formats.
4. Training must evolve with the tools
As AI technology changes rapidly, so must the training that supports it. AWS found that launching educational materials alongside new products improved adoption and helped learners stay current.
When Amazon introduced Amazon Q, its generative AI assistant, the company also launched supporting training modules. This immediate integration helped organisations deploy the tool more effectively and allowed employees to begin using it without delay. Coordinating product launches with training has now become standard practice.
The future of work requires ongoing AI skills training
Reaching the AI Ready goal a year early is a significant achievement, but it is not the end of the road. Instead, it underscores a deeper truth. Companies need to continue investing in AI education to remain competitive. AWS plans to expand its training library, introduce more certifications and embed generative AI into the learning experience itself.
AI is likely to be the defining technology of this generation. Its benefits can only be realised if people know how to use it responsibly and effectively. For organisations, building a culture of continuous learning will not only strengthen their teams. It will also unlock new levels of innovation and growth.