The news: Demand for AI-skilled workers is exploding as workplace adoption of generative AI (genAI) accelerates, creating a make-or-break moment for B2B companies trying to compete in a tech-driven landscape.

The number of job postings for employees with agentic AI skills spiked 985% between 2023 and 2024, per McKinsey’s 2025 Technology Trends Outlook report. Postings for workers with general AI skills also rose, but at a much smaller 35% rate.

AI on the ground: As most organizations (92%) say they plan to invest further in AI over the next three years, per McKinsey, 79% of senior executives say AI agents are already being adopted in their companies, per PwC.

Big Tech talent war: Having a highly skilled AI team is becoming a strategic advantage for major players, who are spending heavily.

• Ongoing talent wars include splashy acqui-hires where tech companies have shelled out millions, ostensibly to hire founders or executives at AI companies.
• Big Tech players like Meta are making multimillion-dollar job offers to AI engineers on rival teams, aiming to bring on the human IP that has helped competitors succeed in the AI race.

The opportunity: Access to top-tier tools and people will define who stays competitive. Companies outside the Big Tech talent race should identify internal talent for AI upskilling and ensure workers have access to—and training on—approved genAI tools to avoid security weaknesses.

• 46% of companies cite skills gaps as their biggest barrier to mass adoption, per McKinsey, and more than 20% of employees report minimal training. Proper training can help employees efficiently use AI tools, avoiding mistakes and delays.
• Guidance on appropriate AI use—or which tools are approved—could prevent cybersecurity vulnerabilities, such as workers entering proprietary company data into chatbots.

The stakes: The fight for AI-skilled employees is crucial to keep experienced teams on hand as AI takes off across sectors. Companies that fail to attract AI talent or upskill existing teams will lag behind in genAI knowledge and efficiencies, per McKinsey.

Our take: CMOs should work closely with HR to identify high-potential marketing team members for upskilling programs to tackle tasks like generating and reviewing AI copy and pulling insights out of AI-powered campaign analytics.