Signal Global demand for applied AI talent more than tripled between 2018 and 2025

Summary

McKinsey reports a sharp rise in worldwide demand for people who can apply AI in practice. Between 2018 and 2025, global demand for applied AI talent grew to more than three times its earlier level. Skills in natural language processing, data science, and the PyTorch framework were among those most in demand. The report places this within a broader argument that AI agents do not have every answer and that organizations must preserve critical human skills. It emphasizes that emotional intelligence remains important alongside technical expertise as work is redesigned.