Abstract
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has moved from emerging technology to foundational infrastructure. Since our original 2023 white paper, the landscape has transformed dramatically: large language models (LLMs) have entered mainstream enterprise use, multimodal AI now processes text, images, audio, and video simultaneously, and agentic AI — where AI systems plan, act, and iterate autonomously — has become a practical reality across all sectors.
The AI skills gap has not narrowed; if anything, it has widened. Demand for professionals who can apply, govern, and lead AI has outpaced supply at every level of the organisation. The challenge is no longer simply whether to adopt AI — it is how to adopt it responsibly, effectively, and at scale.
This updated edition expands our original 12 roles to 16, adding four new personas that have emerged as critical AI beneficiaries in 2025–2026: AI Governance Officers, Operations Managers, Legal & Compliance Professionals, and Healthcare Professionals. All original roles have been updated to reflect current tools, capabilities, and best practices — including the rise of generative AI, autonomous agents, and multimodal systems.
The goal remains unchanged: to highlight how AI enhances and accelerates human roles — not replaces them — and to demonstrate that AI literacy is now a universal professional competency, not a technical specialism.
Terry Neal
Founder & CEO, Cyber Skills, Ltd
Terry Neal has 40 years’ experience in IT, with the last 14 years focused on Cyber Security and Artificial Intelligence training and certification. Fellow of the British Computer Society (BCS) and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Information Security (CIISEC). He is Scheme Owner of the Artificial Intelligence Practitioner (AIP) training and certification program at APMG International. For further information, please visit our website at https://cyberskills.com/.
