AI buzzwords are wrecking your job search - here's what really matters

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ZDNET's key takeaways

• Employers may employ buzzwords to signal innovation.
• Both employers and job hunters may confuse AI terminology.
• Creativity and curiosity are sought-after skills.

In today's employment environment, job hunters may be padding their resumes to some degree with AI skills, but employers are also padding their job descriptions. In a trend known as "AI language inflation," employers are using buzzwords to appear more cutting-edge, but are highlighting capabilities that may not be essential skills for the roles. The result of this inflation is a vicious cycle, with job hunters dropping AI buzzwords into their resumes. 

That was the conclusion of a recent panel that featured executives from Indeed, Salesforce, and IBM. For job hunters, AI language inflation means learning the different flavors of AI -- machine learning, versus generative AI and agents ...