The race for AI skills as an obstacle course: Institutional challenges and low threshold suggestions

Overall, the global labor market shows a clear surge of demand for AI-related skills, pressuring education systems and institutions across the globe, in particular those in higher education, to adapt policies and curricula and address the current skills gap. This paper examines the delaying factors which higher education institutions are facing in heeding a swift call for action, including problems related to the current AI skills frameworks, the heterogeneity of student populations, the lack of institutional policies as well as the slow process of translating new knowledge into curricula. The paper concludes with some suggestions for low threshold actions, which would help prevent the skills gap from becoming even wider in the near future as well as pave the way for more holistic solutions. • Higher education institutions are facing various challenges in addressing the AI skills gap. • Diversity of learners, lack of institutional policies and slow curriculum updates hamper AI skills framework development. • Low threshold solutions (micro designs, peer learning, co-creation) enable progress without overwhelming educators/learners. • The longer running discourse on 21st century skills might offer some insights that could be adopted.