Upskill in AI: How to Create Your Personal AI Toolkit
- Jenny Kay Pollock
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
By Moha Shah, Venture Capital Leader & Innovation Operator | AI, Mobility, Climate, & Fintech/Insurtech | Fortune 100 to Startups
In the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Future of Jobs Report, 85% of employers surveyed plan to prioritize upskilling their workforce. New AI tools and AI-first startups are launching each week, and it can feel overwhelming. During the latest Generative AI wave, tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Sora are sparking discussions across work and college campuses. The most common question that I hear from my network is: How do I begin learning about AI? In my experience working with business leaders, technical experts, and startup founders, I believe that anyone can learn to become AI-native.
Everyone’s journey with AI tools will be personal. Learning about and using new Gen AI tools are skills that can be developed over time. It takes patience and a learner’s mindset to approach these tools with curiosity.
My AI Journey
My passion for technology was shaped when I learned how to code during my formative years. I’ve witnessed how technology shifts have transformed the way we communicate, conduct business, and learn. During my professional career, I’ve led strategic initiatives at a global Fortune 100 financial services company focused on digital transformation and emerging technologies, including AI. I’ve also worked with early-stage startups at a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm and leading accelerators, which kept me at the forefront of emerging trends and technologies.
As a lifelong learner, I enjoy learning and sharing my perspectives with others. In previous WOMEN x AI blog posts, I’ve explored how AI is transforming different industries, such as:
Education: “How AI Is Reshaping Education”
Insurance: “Insurance 3.0: The Future of Insurance Powered by AI”
Mobility: “How AI Is Transforming the Future of Mobility”
However, the recent Gen AI wave prompted new questions for me: How could I stay current with emerging Gen AI tools and trends? How should I upskill as an experienced professional?
Create Your Personal AI Toolkit
This post offers resources to help you build your personal AI toolkit. Each person’s learning journey will be different. You can tailor your toolkit with different Gen AI tools in the market based on your interests. For example, media enthusiasts might explore video generation tools such as Google’s Veo or OpenAI’s Sora. Those interested in AI agents might experiment with n8n or LangChain.
Try Prompting: Start With One Gen AI Model
The AI ecosystem has its own nomenclature. You’ve likely heard terms like prompt, large language model, AI agent, and evals. For example, a prompt is what you input into Gen AI tools such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, or Anthropic’s Claude to generate a response.
As a starting point, I encourage you to try prompting with at least one Gen AI model. There are different AI prompts – zero-shot, role-based, contextual, among others – that you can learn about in MIT Sloan Teaching and Learning Technologies’ guide. As you experiment with different Gen AI models, it’s important to review each platform’s terms of service to understand how your prompts (work or personal) and data may be used to train their large language models.
Join a Community
Join a community or group that works for you. Organizations such as WOMEN x AI and Women Applying AI attract women with diverse backgrounds who wish to lead, learn, and teach about AI within a community of peers. Also, meetup groups such as the GAI Insights’ GenAI Learning Lab bring together both learners and experts from the Gen AI community each week.
If you’re a current college student, take advantage of campus resources like your career services office or student clubs focused on technology or entrepreneurship. For example, a student club called Sundai brings together current students across Harvard and MIT each Sunday to build AI prototypes. Whether you’re a student or industry professional, it is helpful to find an organization that works well for you and supports your goals to learn about AI.
Take an Online Course
If you have a busy schedule, it can feel like a big commitment to take a course to upskill in AI. Fortunately, many online courses with reasonable time commitments enable you to learn about different AI topics from prompting to AI agents. Many AI resources (free to paid) are available online based on your personal budget.
If you’re curious about AI agents, Armand Ruiz offers a complimentary ten-day course; Armand served as the vice president of IBM’s AI platform. If you want to learn how to use Microsoft Copilot or OpenAI’s ChatGPT, GAI Insights currently offers free sessions each week. Also, communities such as WOMEN x AI and Women Applying AI host online sessions and in-person events to discuss different AI tools and trends.
Learn on YouTube
YouTube, launched in 2005, continues to be a great platform for creators to showcase their expertise. Several YouTube channels and videos that I’ve enjoyed as part of my own AI learning journey.
GAI Insights’ Daily AI News
Boston-based industry analyst firm, GAI Insights, hosts a 30-minute online show, Daily AI News, with GAI Insights’ industry experts analyzing the latest AI news, trends, and tools. The show airs weekdays at 7:30 a.m. ET and can be joined via YouTube or LinkedIn.
Online Tutorials on Replit
If you want to learn about using low-code to no-code AI platforms such as Replit, there are videos such as “Getting Started on Replit” hosted by Matt Palmer, Head of Developer Relations at Replit.
Tutorials and FAQs on Popular Gen AI Models
You can learn how to use Gen AI tools released by companies such as Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google via tutorials or FAQs on their websites.
As with any online content, it may take some trial and error to find videos that align with your learning style and goals.
Follow AI Experts and Leaders on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is an excellent platform to follow AI leaders and experts. I recommend following people across different industries and career stages to learn their perspectives about AI. I personally appreciate posts from tech CEOs, venture capitalists, academic experts, and early-stage startup founders building AI-first ventures.
For example, Daniela Amodei (Anthropic President), Paul Baier (GAI Insights CEO), Aaron Levie (Box CEO), Jenny Kay Pollock (WOMEN x AI Co-Founder), Ramesh Raskar (MIT Professor and MIT Media Lab Director), Elias Torres (Agency Founder), and Alison Wagonfeld (Google Cloud CMO) are among LinkedIn users who offer perspectives on emerging AI tools and trends. Beyond individuals, you can also join public groups on LinkedIn such as Artificial Intelligence or Artificial Intelligence Pivot.
Subscribe to AI-Focused Newsletters and Podcasts
To build AI literacy, newsletters are an excellent resource to stay ahead of AI tools, startups, and trends. Some newsletters that I recommend include The Rundown AI, Axios AI+, and AI Secret. Many venture capital (VC) firms also publish newsletters focused on their latest investments in AI startups. Newsletters from Madrona Ventures, Underscore VC, and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) are among those that I like reading.
Podcasts are another way to stay informed about AI news and trends; you can listen to them during a walk or your commute to work. Some podcasts that I enjoy include WOMEN x AI Podcast, Me, Myself, and AI, NVIDIA AI Podcast, and Superhuman AI: Decoding the Future.
Key Takeaway: Your AI Toolkit Will Evolve
During your learning journey, new AI tools and services will be launched. Some may gain long-lasting traction while others will be short-lived. Embrace experimenting with new AI tools, and don’t be afraid to ask others in your network for guidance. Your AI toolkit will evolve, which is to be expected. As AI reshapes the future of work and learning, it’s important to begin building your skills and personal AI toolkit.
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