Key Takeaways
- Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang urges students to embrace artificial intelligence, seeing it as a cornerstone for future career success.
- Effective AI use hinges on skilled “prompting”—knowing how to ask the right questions and provide clear instructions.
- Think of AI as a capable assistant that requires good context and well-structured requests to perform its best.
- Developing AI interaction skills is becoming essential, with significant changes expected in the job market due to this technology.
If Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang were a student today, his top priority would be learning artificial intelligence. He highlighted this during a January episode of the “Huge Conversations” show with Cleo Abram, a point detailed in a report by CNBC, mentioning tools like ChatGPT as examples of the technology’s power.
Huang believes that “learning how to interact with AI” is a key skill, much like being adept at asking insightful questions. Crafting effective prompts for AI isn’t just about asking randomly; it’s an art that requires expertise.
Imagine trying to explain your entire business in response to a vague question—it’s tough. But a specific query, like “What are the first steps to launch an online retail business?”, allows for a clear, helpful answer. The same principle applies when working with AI.
To get better results from AI, it helps to think of it as a “smart kid,” as Kelly Daniel, a prompt director at Lazarus AI, advised in a February piece also covered by CNBC Make It. This “kid” is eager to help but needs you to provide the necessary background and context, as it lacks your specific experience.
Daniel advises organizing your requests clearly and concisely. Breaking down instructions into lists or steps, and including examples of what you want, makes it easier for the AI to understand and deliver quality responses.
Despite this advice, a 2024 report from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Common Sense Media, and Hopelab found that only 11% of Americans aged 14 to 22 use generative AI weekly. This highlights a gap between current usage and future needs.
That future, according to LinkedIn’s 2025 Work Change report, could see AI impacting up to 70% of the skills used in most jobs by 2030. The landscape of work is set for a major shift.
Huang emphasized that mastering AI prompts and improving general questioning skills will be invaluable for years to come. He encourages students, regardless of their chosen field, to consider how AI can enhance their work. “I’m going to ask myself, ‘How can I use AI to do my job better?'” he said, suggesting this as a guiding question for anyone today.
