From $200K specialist to everyone's skill: what prompt engineering's rise and fall means for your business

Prompt engineering isn't just for specialists anymore

For the last two-three years, the tech world has been buzzing about a hot new career that promised six-figure salaries with no coding required.

All you need is a knack for talking to AI the right way. Fast forward to today, and that specialised role has vanished almost as quickly as it appeared.

But here's the twist that matters to you as a small business owner or creative professional: the skill itself hasn't disappeared - it's become essential for everyone.

The rise and fall of the "AI Whisperer"

When ChatGPT burst onto the scene in late 2022, companies scrambled to find people who could coax the best results from these powerful but temperamental AI tools.

The role of "prompt engineer" was born (a complete misnomer, if you ask me), with some positions reportedly offering salaries up to $200,000 across the Pond.

The idea was simple: hire specialists who knew exactly how to phrase requests to get AI systems to deliver useful, accurate outputs.

In a remarkably short time, however, something unexpected happened. A recent Fortune article claims that the demand for dedicated prompt engineers has plummeted.

According to Indeed economist Allison Shrivastava, "Prompt engineering as a skill is still definitely a good thing to have, but it's not an entire title."

Why the rapid change?

Several factors contributed to this dramatic shift:

1. AI got smarter: Today's AI systems have improved dramatically in just two years. They're better at understanding intent, require less specialised prompting, and can even ask clarifying questions when needed.

   
   

2. The skill democratised: What was once arcane knowledge has become more accessible. Free resources and training materials from companies like OpenAI have made basic prompt engineering available to everyone.

   
   

3. Business needs evolved: Rather than having a single AI specialist, companies now need everyone to have basic AI literacy while focusing specialised roles on tasks like AI security, data management, and integration.

   
   

Why prompt engineering skills matter for your business

This shift represents a crucial opportunity for small businesses and creative professionals. Here's why:

The great equaliser

When large companies paid top pound or dollar for AI specialists, they gained a competitive advantage. Now that effective AI use is becoming a universal skill, small businesses can level the playing field - if you develop these capabilities now.

Productivity multiplier

Learning basic prompt engineering allows you to leverage AI as a productivity tool across your entire operation. From drafting marketing copy to analysing customer feedback to streamlining administrative tasks, well-crafted prompts can help AI deliver genuinely useful outputs.

Future-proofing

AI literacy is now the fastest-growing skill in the U.S. job market. By developing these skills yourself and encouraging them in your team, you're preparing for a business landscape where AI fluency is expected, not exceptional.

You don't need a specialised degree to start using prompt engineering effectively in your business. See my earlier post about the four-element prompting framework which will give you solid prompting building blocks

The AI revolution isn't coming. It's here.

And knowing how to speak its language isn't just for specialists anymore - it's for everyone ready to thrive in this new world.