How Can We Understand AI?
Artificial intelligence is reshaping how work is done, and how employers find and manage workers. At Lightcast, we have over 25 years of experience in guiding employers, educators, and governments in using advanced tools to develop talent.
What intelligence, data, and tools can we use to understand how this massive disruption is playing out, and what to do in response? Here's how Lightcast is approaching AI.
Just *ASK
*ASK is how Lightcast is using AI to make labor market intelligence more accessible to more people.
With *ASK, users can start with the workforce question they want to answer, rather than first determining which report, dataset, filter, or taxonomy to navigate. A user might ask, “What AI skills does a software developer need?” or “Where is demand for this role growing fastest?” and receive relevant insights from Lightcast data, with clear visibility into the underlying data. Responses link directly to the Analyst report it comes from, allowing users to explore the data, adjust their analysis, and build on what they've learned using the tools they already know.
This connection between conversational discovery and deeper analysis is central to *ASK's design. For both new and existing users of Analyst products, *ASK provides a more intuitive starting point for complex questions.
Whatever you need to understand about work, just *ASK.
Defining Artificial Intelligence
AI can't be easily defined using traditional occupations or industry hierarchies, so at Lightcast, we decided to do it ourselves. Our economists and researchers, in collaboration with industry experts, have compiled a list of over 300 skills, across 10 sectors, that we identified as AI skills. Any job that requires one of those skills is an AI job.
This list was built as part of our work with the Stanford AI Index, and for years, it has helped researchers, policymakers, and other leaders understand the growth of AI-related skills across the labor market.
Using the Lightcast definition of AI, professionals can view how AI skills are impacting specific parts of any segment of the labor market, including localized demand, demand within specific industries, and changes across occupations as AI becomes increasingly prevalent.
Want to Explore the Full List?
Go Beyond The Buzz
Beyond the Buzz
The Lightcast 'Beyond The Buzz' report delivers comprehensive analysis revealing that artificial intelligence has fundamentally transformed hiring patterns across the world of work. The piece, based on analysis of over 1.3 billion job postings, shows that job postings including AI skills offer 28% higher salaries—nearly $18,000 more per year—than those without such capabilities.
The research analyzes specific skills based on their growth across job postings, their importance in the workforce, and their exposure to AI. This shows exactly which AI skills create value in which contexts, solving the critical challenge facing educators and workforce development leaders: moving beyond vague "AI literacy" to precise, targeted training that delivers measurable results.
The Stanford AI Index
See how Lightcast contributed to the annual AI Index Report from the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. This report provides a global benchmark for how society is dealing with AI. Lightcast provides the data on jobs and skills to understand the growth of the global labor market's biggest disruption.
Mapping the AI Economy, with Brookings
Combining a set of metrics, including Lightcast job postings and profiles data, the Brookings Institute built a metric to identify AI readiness of US metro areas.
Anticipate How AI Will Change Your Work
Talent Transform
Create a dynamic skill architecture to navigate AI disruption. With the new Lightcast Skill Agent™, automatically update skill demand for roles.
Skillabi
Measure how well your institution’s academic programs map to labor market realities. Identify AI training priorities and ways to update your programs.
Professional Services
Get tailored insights from our proprietary AI Skill Disruption Matrix for specific occupations and roles. Gain further intelligence into risk and AI adoption.
AI articles
Degree Requirements are Dropping—But They’re Still Higher for AI Jobs
Tracking the Agentic AI Explosion in Jobs
Is AI the end for Software Engineering?
Emerging skills in AI jobs
Are workers changing their career strategy because of AI?
Healthcare Is Not Immune to AI Disruptions
The AI Displacement Delusion
Building AI Takes More Than AI Skills
The Human Data Economy
Solving Europe's AI talent equation: Lightcast x CEPS
Artificial Intelligence is reshaping Europe’s labour markets - but not evenly. This CEPS report uses Lightcast data to map AI job demand across 31 countries and skill levels, revealing sharp differences in where and what kind of AI talent is most needed.