AI is changing at breakneck speed: How companies can keep pace and develop skilled workers properly

Germany is looking for specialists in artificial intelligence - but there is still no official profession for it. While the Chamber of Industry and Commerce is working on additional qualifications, many companies are already going their own way. The new specialist article by Markus Schall shows in a practical way how companies and career starters can lay the foundations for AI expertise today - without waiting for new training regulations.

The change has long since begun

Artificial intelligence has arrived in companies. Whether text creation, data analysis or process automation - AI is profoundly changing work processes. Despite this, there is as yet no recognized training occupation in Germany that focuses exclusively on this future field.

"The dual training system is thorough and stable, but slow," explains author and software developer Markus Schall. "New job profiles only emerge when technologies have proven themselves over the years. But with AI, every month counts. Companies need to take action now."_

His article shows how existing IT and digital professions - from IT specialist to digitalization management assistant to media designer - can be specifically expanded to include AI skills. In this way, companies can develop their trainees into real future leaders today instead of waiting for new designations.

Local AI as an opportunity for SMEs

A central idea of the article: Not all AI has to come from the cloud.
Cloud systems such as ChatGPT or Gemini are powerful, but expensive and data protection-critical. Local AI systems on in-house hardware are increasingly becoming an alternative - especially in Europe, where data protection and independence have traditionally been a high priority.

"For many medium-sized companies, it makes sense to operate their own AI servers in-house and train employees to do so," says Schall. "This creates data sovereignty and saves costs in the long term. You don't need large corporations for this, but people who understand processes and can think for themselves."_

It is precisely this mix - basic technical understanding and practice-oriented process thinking - that makes the difference. Today, AI expertise does not necessarily mean programming, but the ability to recognize correlations, design systems and take responsibility.

The "unofficial" path to becoming an AI specialist

As there is no formal profession, numerous additional qualifications have been established. Many IHKs now offer certificates such as "AI Scout (IHK)", "AI Manager (IHK)" or "Certified Professional Specialist for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning". These formats are aimed at trainees, skilled workers and managers who want to put AI into practice in their own company.

At the same time, the number of practice-oriented online courses is growing - for example from Google, IBM, OpenAI and Coursera. However, Schall emphasizes that real expertise is not gained through certificates, but through doing: _"A trainee who sets up an internal AI project learns more than someone who just takes a theory exam. It's about recognizing structures, not collecting tools."_

Recommendation to entrepreneurs: small steps, big impact

This article is deliberately aimed at medium-sized companies with a practical approach. Instead of waiting for expensive consultants, Schall recommends simple, internal projects:

For example, automatic text creation for product descriptions, analyzing warehouse data or setting up a small chatbot based on company documents.
This creates real experience that can later be multiplied - through new trainees, internal training and knowledge transfer.

Above all, it is important not to slow down the learning process.

"Learning time is not lost working time, but an investment. If you let your people understand what AI really does, you will save time, nerves and money every day in the future," says Schall.

Aimed at career starters: Learn for yourself instead of waiting

The second part of the article is aimed at young people who want to work with AI but don't yet know where to start.

Schall recommends a practical approach: basic Python skills, free experimentation with small data sets and consciously documenting your own learning path - for example on GitHub or LinkedIn.

"Self-learning is the new core skill. Anyone who shows that they can learn on their own has a better chance than someone who only has a degree certificate,"_ says the author.

Outlook: AI is not becoming a profession, but a part of every profession

In the long term, it is predicted that artificial intelligence will no longer be an independent profession, but a cross-sectional skill - comparable to computer skills in the 1990s.

In future, every profession, from trades to administration, will require a basic understanding of data, processes and AI logic.

"The companies that start getting their people ready for this now will be ahead in five years' time," says Schall. "Those who wait will have to retrain at great expense."

About the author

Markus Schall is a FileMaker software developer, publisher and author. He has been developing FileMaker-based ERP systems for many years and writes practical technical and non-fiction books on digitalization, AI and personal development.

His book "The Unconventional Database Book" provides an introduction to process and database thinking without programming knowledge - a work that deliberately focuses on people, not syntax.

With his publishing house and his specialist articles, Schall wants to help ensure that technology does not dehumanize, but empowers - and that AI becomes a tool that complements common sense, not replaces it.

M. Schall Verlag
Hackenweg 97
26127 Oldenburg
Germany

https://markus-schall.de/en/
Mr. Markus Schall
info@schall-verlag.de

Schall-Verlag was founded in 2025 by Markus Schall - out of a desire to publish books that provide clarity, stimulate reflection and consciously avoid the hectic flow of the zeitgeist. The publishing house does not see itself as a mass marketplace, but as a curated platform for content with attitude, depth and substance.

The focus is on topics such as personal development, crisis management, social dynamics, technological transformation and critical thinking. All books are created out of genuine conviction, not market analysis - and are aimed at readers who are looking for guidance, insight and new perspectives.

The publishing house is deliberately designed to be compact, independent and with high standards in terms of language, content and design. Schall-Verlag is based in Oldenburg (Lower Saxony) and plans multilingual publications in German and English.

This release was published on openPR.