Every job now says “AI skills preferred” but seriously, what does that even mean?

We’ve been seeing this line show up in almost every job posting lately across marketing, finance, HR, design, and even teaching roles. But it’s never clear what employers actually mean when they say “AI skills preferred.” Is it about knowing how to use ChatGPT or Gemini efficiently? Is it about building automations and prompts? Or is it something deeper understanding how AI fits into your work and decision-making? It feels like the phrase has turned into a buzzword that everyone uses but few can define.

We’re curious to know how professionals from different fields interpret it.