It seems AI jobs are here to stay, based on the latest data from the 2025 AI Index Report.
To better understand the current state of AI, the annual report from Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) collects a wide range of information on model performance, investment, public opinion, and more. Every year, Spectrum summarizes our top takeaways from the entire report by plucking out a series of charts, but here we zero in on the technology’s effect on the workforce. Much of the report’s findings about jobs are based on data from LinkedIn and Lightcast, a research firm that analyzes job postings from more than 51,000 websites.
Last year’s report showed signs that the AI hiring boom was quieting. But this year, AI job postings were back up in most places after the prior year’s lag. In the United States, for example, the percentage of all job postings demanding AI skills rose to 1.8 percent, up from 1.4 percent in 2023.
The AI Index Report/Stanford HAI
Will AI Create Job Disruptions?
Many people, including software engineers, fear that AI will make their jobs expendable—but others believe the technology will provide new opportunities. A McKinsey survey found that 28 percent of executives in software engineering expect generative AI to decrease their organizations’ workforces in the next three years, while 32 percent expect the workforce to increase. Overall, the portion of executives who anticipate a decrease in the workforce seems to be declining.
In fact, a separate study from LinkedIn and GitHub suggests that adoption of GitHub Copilot, the generative AI-powered coding assistant, is associated with a small increase in software engineering hiring. The study also found these new hires were required to have fewer advanced programming skills, Peter McCrory, an economist and labor researcher at LinkedIn, noted during a panel discussion on the AI Report last Thursday.
As tools like GitHub Copilot are adopted, the mix of required skills may shift. “Big picture, what we see on LinkedIn in recent years is that members are increasingly emphasizing a broader range of skills and increasingly uniquely human skills, like ethical reasoning or leadership,” McCrory said.
Python Remains a Top Skill
Still, programming skills remain central to AI jobs. In both 2023 and 2024, Python was the top specialized skill listed in U.S. AI job postings. The programming language also held onto its lead this year as the language of choice for many AI programmers.
The AI Index Report/Stanford HAI
Taking a broader look at AI-related skills, most were listed in a greater percentage of job postings in 2024 compared to 2023, with two exceptions: autonomous driving and robotics. Generative AI in particular saw a large increase, growing by nearly a factor of four.
The AI Index Report/Stanford HAI
A gender gap is appearing in AI talent. According to LinkedIn’s research, women in most countries are less likely to list AI skills on their profiles, and it estimates that in 2024, nearly 70 percent of AI professionals on the platform were male. The ratio has been “remarkably stable over time,” the report states.
The AI Index Report/Stanford HAI
Academia and Industry
Although models are becoming more efficient, training AI is expensive. That expense is one of the primary reasons most of today’s notable AI advances are coming from industry instead of academia.
“Sometimes in academia, we make do with what we have, so you’re seeing a shift of our research toward topics that we can afford to do with the limited computing [power] that we have,” AI Index steering committee co-director Yolanda Gil said at last week’s panel discussion. “That is a loss in terms of advancing the field of AI,” said Gil.
Gil and others at the event emphasized the importance of investment in academia, as well as collaboration across sectors—industry, government, and education. Such partnerships can both provide needed resources to researchers and create a better understanding of the job market among educators, enabling them to prepare students to fill important roles.
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