A New AI Career Ladder (SSIR)

A New AI Career Ladder

The changing nature of jobs means workers need new education and training infrastructure to match.

The growing use of generative AI in the workplace raises a paradox for entry-level workers. The very tasks that once trained new workers—such as summarizing meetings, cleaning data, and drafting memos—are increasingly automated.

This means that entry-level jobs today require experience that entry-level roles no longer supply. AI has cannibalized the routine, low-risk work tasks that used to teach newcomers how to operate in complex organizations.

Without those task rungs, the climb up the opportunity ladder into better employment options becomes steeper—and for many, impossible.

This is not a temporary glitch. AI is reorganizing work, reshaping what knowledge and skills matter, and redefining how people are expected to acquire them.

Author summary: AI changes job requirements.

more

Stanford Social Innovation Review Stanford Social Innovation Review — 2025-10-31

More News