Will the Real AI Engineers Please Stand Up? How to Spot an AI Engineer that Can Help Your Company

Introduction

Are you confident that the AI engineers you're hiring can truly deliver the solutions your company needs? In today’s fast-paced tech landscape, identifying a capable AI engineer isn't just about checking off a few boxes. Our company dive into the essential traits that differentiate real AI engineers from the rest, helping you make informed decisions for your business.

Understanding the AI Engineer Conundrum

The rise of large language models (LLMs) like GPT-4 has transformed the AI landscape. But here’s the catch: You can’t expect an engineer to have more than a couple of years of experience with these technologies, simply because they haven't been around that long. Misleading claims of extensive experience in AI engineering can often be a red flag.

Machine learning engineers may seem like a close fit, but there’s a distinction to be made. While machine learning is crucial, AI engineering for real-world applications involves a different set of skills. Much like a race car driver doesn’t need to be a mechanical engineer, your AI engineer doesn’t need to be a machine learning expert—what they need is practical experience with LLMs and a strong foundation in software development.

The Key Skills to Look For

• Python Proficiency: Python is the lingua franca of AI. If your candidate doesn’t know Python, especially for backend development, it’s a cause for concern.
• Experience with APIs: Have they actually called OpenAI’s API, or those of other LLMs like Claude or Meta’s LLaMA? Practical experience here is non-negotiable.
• Building Reusable Solutions: Real AI engineers don’t just hack together solutions—they build foundational blocks that can be reused and adapted, making future projects more efficient.
• Selective Use of LLMs: An expert AI engineer knows when not to use an LLM. LLMs are powerful but expensive and sometimes unreliable. A good engineer will know how to integrate them selectively, using traditional coding where it makes sense.
• Creative Problem-Solving: AI engineering is a new frontier, and there aren’t always clear-cut solutions. Creativity is key in finding innovative ways to apply AI to solve your company’s unique challenges.
• Prompt Engineering: It’s not just about feeding data into an LLM; it’s about structuring that input correctly and managing the output reliably. A real AI engineer will have experience with this, especially when integrating LLMs into broader systems.
  
  

The Ultimate Test

One of the best ways to gauge an AI engineer’s expertise is to ask them to design a simple AI architecture for a use case. If their design places the LLM at the center with everything revolving around it, that’s a red flag. The real experts will know that LLMs should be tools within a broader traditional coding framework, not the core of the solution.

Conclusion

Hiring the right AI engineer is critical to your company’s success in leveraging AI technology. Don’t fall into the trap of hiring based on buzzwords or exaggerated claims of experience. Look for the skills and insights that truly matter.

Need help in identifying the right AI engineers for your company? Contact us today for a free custom AI implementation roadmap. Don’t leave your AI strategy to chance—ensure you’re working with the best.

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