Forget Coding—Start Framing: The Real AI Skill Nobody's Talking About

Sylvie Carr
7 days ago
2 min read

Somewhere along the way, we started believing AI was only for the techiest of tech folks—the people who could code in their sleep, speak in acronyms, and build neural networks for breakfast.

But here’s the plot twist: the most important AI skill today has nothing to do with coding, or really knowing much about technology in the first place.

It’s all about how well you frame problems.

AI Isn’t Just a Tool—It’s a Conversation Partner

The organizations seeing real results with AI aren’t the ones with the most data scientists. They’re the ones treating AI like a curious teammate—one that asks back whatever you give it.

And like any great teammate, AI is only as helpful as your clarity. If your instructions are vague, your results will be, too. If your questions are thoughtful, specific, and grounded in a real challenge—AI can become your secret weapon. Not because it’s magic. But because you took the time to define the right problem.

It’s Not About Prompt Engineering. It’s About Problem Engineering.

Prompt engineering has become the newest buzzword. But let’s not forget what sits beneath it: good thinking. Real, critical, creative, thinking.

The folks who are thriving with AI aren’t the ones with flashy tools—they’re the ones who can say:

“Here’s what’s really broken.”
“Here’s the nuance we keep missing.”
“Here’s the outcome we actually want.”

And then—only then—they plug AI in as a way to explore, test, and iterate.

Curious Culture Beats Technical Expertise

If you're a leader, this next part is important: Creating a culture that encourages curiosity, safe failure, and deep thinking will get you further with AI than hiring someone with a long résumé of machine learning experience.

Let your team: