Calling All ADWEEK Readers: We want to hear your thoughts on AI. Please share them by participating in our latest survey here. All responses are anonymous. And the survey is short—shouldn’t take more than a minute or two to complete.
* * *
In the race to become proficient in artificial intelligence, some industries appear to be adapting at a faster rate of growth than others.
Global data from LinkedIn suggests no group of workers has grown their AI skills the most over the past year than those who serve in government. When comparing the 12 months ending April 2025 with the same period preceding it, the total number of AI-related skills listed on the profiles of government employees increased 28%.
The healthcare industry came in second place with 22% growth. People employed at tech companies followed with a 16% uptick.
Marketers and advertisers, meanwhile, ended up somewhere near the middle of the pack with a 12% increase in know-how pertaining to AI.
LinkedIn did not provide raw figures by industry, making it difficult to determine if low baselines translated into higher rates of AI adoption.
To arrive at these findings, LinkedIn examined around two dozen common AI-related skills found on profile pages across its platform.
In the marketing and advertising industry, the AI-related skill that saw the most growth was AI Strategy, with a 189% adoption rate. Seeking the ability to plan and advise on AI initiatives implies members of the industry aren’t just trying to use the tools; they want to position themselves as experts, said a LinkedIn spokesperson.
Prompt Engineering—crafting inputs to guide generative AI—grew 79%, the second-highest increase. Computer Vision—training machines to interpret and analyze images and videos—followed with a 33% increase.
The number of jobs at U.S. ad agencies has remained stagnant in recent years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. One possible factor: the rise of AI.
Indeed, figures from employment data provider Live Data Technologies show staff positions at U.S. marketing and advertising companies have declined more than 10% since January 2022. Manager and director jobs, meanwhile, have remained relatively steady, suggesting AI might be playing a role in disrupting the workforce.