Demand for AI skills soars, while demand for programming skills falls OReilly report [Video]

O’Reilly online learning platform saw huge spikes in consumption of AI-related content in 2024, while consumption of Python and Java content declined.

It’s perhaps not a surprise, but demand for AI-related skills has soared, according to technology educator O’Reilly, which just released its annual technology trends report. By contrast, interest in programming languages Python and Java has taken a bit of a nosedive, the company reports.

The O’Reilly Technology Trends for 2025 report, released January 6, examines the most-sought-after technology topics consumed by 2.8 million users of O’Reilly’s online learning platform. The rise of interest in AI topics is indicated by increases in consumption of content about prompt engineering (up 456%), AI principles (up 386%), and generative AI (up 289%). Consumption of content about GitHub Copilot, an AI-powered programming assistant for software developers, increased by 471%, reflecting developers’ enthusiasm for tools that enhance productivity, the report said.

“We aren’t concerned about AI …