AI, Bullshit Jobs, and the Risk of Worker Deskilling
David Graeber’s Bullshit Jobs exposed a troubling paradox of modern work: many people feel trapped in roles that contribute little meaningful value, sustained by bureaucratic inertia rather than genuine necessity. As AI adoption accelerates, the risk isn’t just automation eliminating tasks—it’s that AI will be used to reinforce inefficiencies, degrade worker autonomy, and further erode meaningful skill development. Matt Beane’s The Skill Code warns of a parallel danger: AI can systematically deskill workers if it is deployed in ways that exclude them from critical learning opportunities. Together, these perspectives offer a stark warning: without worker voice in the AI adoption process, we risk creating a future of meaningless work and hollowed-out expertise.
AI and the Growth of Meaningless Work
Graeber argued that many jobs exist not because they are necessary, but because economic and bureaucratic structures sustain them. AI, if implemented without worker input, could intensify this trend. Instead of eliminating drudgery, it may create new layers of oversight, forcing workers into roles where they merely monitor AI outputs rather than engage in meaningful decision-making. Worse, AI-driven management tools—such as automated performance tracking and algorithmic scheduling—risk stripping workers of autonomy, reducing them to passive executors of machine-dictated tasks.
AI’s Threat to Skill Development: The Deskilling Trap
Matt Beane highlights a critical challenge: AI, if misused, can disrupt traditional pathways of skill acquisition. Mastery in any field requires three core elements: challenge, complexity, and connection—but AI is often introduced in ways that undermine these very conditions.
Challenge: AI is frequently designed to simplify or eliminate difficult tasks. While this can increase efficiency, it can also deprive workers of opportunities to develop expertise. For example, in robotic-assisted surgery, AI handles many complex procedures, limiting the hands-on experience junior surgeons need to build proficiency.
Complexity: When AI automates decision-making without human involvement, it strips workers of the ability to develop deep intuition. If financial analysts or legal professionals only review AI-generated conclusions rather than engage in analytical reasoning themselves, their ability to think critically atrophies over time.
Connection: Skill development is fundamentally social—mentorship, peer collaboration, and hands-on experience are irreplaceable. AI-driven workflows that isolate workers from each other or reduce their roles to merely interacting with AI outputs erode these essential learning environments.
Ensuring AI Strengthens Work Instead of Hollowing It Out
AI doesn’t inherently create bullshit jobs or deskill workers, but when deployed without worker voice, it risks doing both. If AI adoption prioritizes efficiency and cost-cutting over human capability, it will reduce skilled labor to a series of button-pressing tasks.
The alternative? AI should be designed to augment, not replace human expertise:
Workers must be active participants in AI adoption, helping to shape how technology interacts with their work.
AI should be used to enhance learning, providing real-time feedback and adaptive challenges rather than removing workers from the skill-building process.
Organizations should ensure AI strengthens collaborative environments rather than isolating individuals into fragmented, algorithm-managed tasks.
The Bottom Line
Graeber warned of the rise of bullshit jobs, and Beane cautioned against AI-driven deskilling. Both problems stem from the same fundamental issue: the exclusion of workers from shaping their own work environments. AI adoption must go beyond cost-saving measures—it should be about strengthening worker agency, preserving pathways to expertise, and ensuring that technology enhances meaningful work rather than replacing it with bureaucratic automation. If we listen to workers and integrate AI thoughtfully, we can create a future where technology deepens human skill rather than diminishing it.
