Becoming The Man Without Qualities? Deskilling in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

This paper investigates how Artificial Intelligence reshapes the human capabilities that jobs require. Using longitudinal O*NET data for the U.S. labour market over 2011–2025, we distinguish among three types of human capabilities - abilities, skills, and knowledge - and construct two measures of human capabilities’ exposure to AI: one based on observed progress in Generative AI benchmark performance and one based on the broader evolution of AI-related scientific and public attention. We document a dual pattern. Within occupations, greater AI exposure is associated with higher proficiency requirements for selected capabilities. At the occupational level, more exposed occupations exhibit a compression in the overall breadth of capabilities required. Together, these findings suggest that AI is driving a process of occupational restructuring, leading to more specialized and less diverse capability profiles embedded in jobs.