Is AI Really Making Technical Skills Less Important?

Is AI making technical skills less important? Or is it actually making experience, judgement and technical understanding more valuable? In this episode of Databricks Diaries, I’m joined by Sham and his son Milo to talk about how AI is changing the way data professionals work, and what that means for the skills companies should be hiring for. We talk about: • What being “AI-ready” actually means • Why your data foundations matter before AI can give you useful answers • How AI helped turn a potential 2–3 month project into a couple of weeks • Why you still need to understand and review the work AI produces • How AI is changing the day-to-day role of data professionals • What Milo looks for when hiring data analysts • Why curiosity and problem-solving matter when assessing talent • What makes a good modern data engineer • Whether businesses should be paying more for experienced people who know how to use AI rather than relying on junior “vibe coders” There’s also a more personal conversation about Sham and Milo’s careers, the advice passed between them, and how Milo went from studying politics to becoming a lead data analyst. Has AI actually made technical experience less valuable, or more valuable? Let us know what you think in the comments. #Databricks #AI #DataEngineering #DataAnalytics #TechRecruitment