The AI Skills Gap: Where Human Expertise Still Dominates
"AI is evolving on medical and science innovation really fast. AI is evolving on code production really fast. AI is evolving on complex text production for non-fiction purposes really fast. AI is evolving on reasoning across the web really fast," states AI strategy expert Nate B Jones. "But there's a lot of other categories where it's not really moving much at all."
This uneven advancement pattern creates strategic career opportunities that most job risk assessments overlook, writes End of Miles. While headline-grabbing AI capabilities continue to spark concerns about job displacement, Jones suggests focusing instead on the persistent gaps in AI capabilities.
The Canyon Effect in AI Development
Jones reframes how we should view AI advancement – not as an advancing wall of intelligence but as a structure full of "canyons and cracks" where human skills remain essential. These gaps become more evident as AI improves in specific domains.
"The pendulum has swung so far over on the gloom and despair side that we are ignoring these really interesting niches that are coming and that are becoming more obvious as intelligence is scaling." Nate B Jones
Rather than focusing on which job families are at risk, the AI strategist emphasizes identifying areas where AI development has stalled, creating opportunities for targeted upskilling. Jones notes that traditional risk assessments fail to capture this nuanced reality.
Where Human Skills Maintain Their Edge
Several key domains show limited AI progress, according to Jones. These include competitive assessments, distribution strategies, complex interaction design, and technical solution architecture – all areas requiring sophisticated human judgment.
"We need to think about areas where we are not seeing those investments and what it means from a job family perspective to refocus and rethink what jobs are meaningful in the AI era." Jones
The Seattle-based expert points to system design thinking as particularly resistant to AI advancement. While AI excels at next-token prediction, it struggles with the holistic perspective needed for complex systems design – creating persistent demand for human expertise.
The New Upskilling Imperative
For workers concerned about AI disruption, Jones recommends analyzing where AI capabilities are advancing slowly and strategically developing skills in those domains. This approach transforms the narrative from job displacement to opportunity identification.
"Think about where job families are going and look at how you can upskill in that direction." The AI strategy expert
The technological landscape Jones describes suggests that despite impressive AI advancements in certain domains, human expertise remains irreplaceable in others – particularly where intuition, systems thinking, and contextual judgment are required.
As companies and individuals navigate the evolving AI landscape, focusing on these persistent gaps may prove more valuable than tracking which job categories appear threatened by the latest AI demonstrations. The strategic opportunity, Jones suggests, lies not in competing with AI but in complementing it where its limitations remain most evident.
