Do you know how much AI knowledge, competency, or skill you actually have?
Most people don’t.
They either underestimate themselves or they’ve played around with a few tools and overrate their ability to actually use AI in meaningful ways.
One of the reasons I went to Harvard Kennedy School this summer to study AI and Public Policy was to benchmark my knowledge. I’ve found something that will help you benchmark your AI knowledge and competency. It’s a simple, smart framework that’ll help you figure out where you are on the AI journey.
It’s called the AI Mastery Journey by Chris Donnelly and I saw his infographic on LinkedIn. You need to jump to the blog post associated with the podcast to see it; it’s brilliant! He breaks AI skills down into three levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Let’s see where you land.
Beginner Level
Let’s start with the beginner tier. If you’re here, you’re just getting started – and that’s no bad thing.
1. AI Foundations
You’ve got a basic understanding of what AI is. You’ve heard terms like machine learning, large language models, weak AI vs strong AI. Maybe you’ve read a few articles or attended a webinar. You’re trying to make sense of how it all fits together, and why it matters for your job or your organisation.
2. Prompt Engineering
You’re starting to experiment with ChatGPT or Claude, maybe typing in a few queries. But you haven’t quite nailed how to get the best out of it yet. You’re learning that prompts aren’t just questions, they’re instructions. You’re realising that how you ask is as important as what you ask.
3. Using LLMs for Work
You’ve started using AI to help with emails, research, summarising documents – maybe even drafting a presentation. But here’s the shift: you’re not just asking what you want, you’re learning to prompt like your team or your customer. That’s the mark of someone moving beyond hobby use.
Intermediate Level
Now let’s talk about the intermediate level: this is where AI stops being a novelty and starts saving you real time.
4. Multimodal AI
You’re using tools that handle more than just text. You might be generating images, cleaning up audio, or even testing tools that blend video, voice, and language like ChatGPT-5, Runway, Gemini 1.5 Pro.
5. Workflow Automation
You’ve started plugging AI into your daily routines. Think automated email summaries, meeting transcripts, and even data clean-up. Tools like Zapier, Make, or AI plugins inside Notion or Google Workspace.
6. Retrieval-Augmented Generation – or RAG
This one’s big. You’re no longer relying on general AI knowledge; you’re feeding in your own PDFs, notes, spreadsheets, and getting context-aware responses. It’s like giving your AI a brain transplant with your own data.
Advanced Level
If you’re working at this level, you’re not just using AI, you’re building with it.
7. Agentic AI & Tool Use
You’re experimenting with self-running AI agents like AutoGPT or LangChain that can complete tasks across different tools and platforms. This isn’t just automation – it’s orchestration.
8. AI in Decision-Making
You’re using AI to model different outcomes, support a strategy, or test messaging. You might be using forecasting, risk modelling, or planning tools that actually shape how you make decisions.
9. AI Product Integration
This is the frontier. You’re embedding AI into your products, your services, or your user experience. Think personalisation engines, AI-native features, or services that couldn’t exist without machine intelligence.
If that’s you. congratulations! You’re part of a very small group that’s operating ahead of the curve.
So, where do you sit? Beginner, intermediate, or advanced?
Wherever you are, here are three tips to level up:
1. Build while you browse
Reading about AI won’t cut it. Open the tool. Try the feature. Break something.
2. Learn one tool, end-to-end
Pick one platform and go deep. Learn its strengths, limits, and integrations before jumping to the next.
3. Test it in your real workflow
The only way to know if AI is helping is to use it in a real task. Something you do every week. Compare before and after.
If this helped you rate your AI skills, do me a favour: share it with one person in your team who’s just getting started.
About the Podcast Host
Joanne Sweeney is a specialist in public-sector marketing and digital communications. She’s the author of Public Sector Marketing Pro and the creator of the Professional Diploma in AI for Public Sector Marketing. With years of experience in training, consulting, and advocating for digital transformation, Joanne provides insight and guidance for government agencies navigating the digital landscape. She is also the host of the award-winning Public Sector Marketing Show podcast.
