The future of work and the role of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is not just about job loss or automation. We must understand GenAI’s impact along a continuum of transformation. To quantify this shift, Indeed’s economic research arm Indeed Hiring Lab (IHL) developed the GenAI Skill Transformation Index (GSTI) — a metric designed to estimate how substantially GenAI could transform a given skill or job by evaluating the degree of potential transformation. The findings of this research are detailed in the AI at Work Report 2025: How GenAI is Rewiring the DNA of Jobs, and this blog summarizes the key insights.

Understanding the Depth of Change with the GSTI

The GSTI measures how much GenAI could change the way different skills or jobs are done. Instead of measuring if GenAI is capable of fully replacing a human worker, it examines how skills may be applied going forward and how human involvement with those skills and tasks may change.

GenAI models analyze an Indeed-identified base of almost 2,900 individual work skills commonly found in US job postings by problem-solving ability and physical necessity to reveal varying levels of GenAI influence. These 2,900 job-related skills were each rated on a 5-point scale on both the problem-solving and physical necessity dimensions. Based on this evaluation, skills were grouped into four distinct categories based on their potential to be transformed by GenAI: Minimal transformation, assisted transformation, hybrid transformation, and full transformation.

In assisted transformation, the human remains the lead actor and still need to practically apply the skill, with GenAI offering limited or generic support. In hybrid transformation, GenAI handles the bulk of execution, but human oversight remains essential.

GSTI Categories

Four Key Points From the GSTI Analysis

Followings are the key points observed through the research with GSTI.

1. Almost Half of Skills in a Typical US Job Posting Are Poised for Hybrid Transformation
   On average, 46% of skills in a typical US job posting fall into the categories of hybrid transformation or full transformation. In other words, under optimal conditions, GenAI could potentially profoundly reshape almost half the skills needed by a typical worker. Human oversight will remain critical when applying these skills, but GenAI can already perform a significant portion of routine work.
   IHL’s analysis shows that less than 1% of skills fall into the “fully transformable” category today, and even those tend to be sub-skills within larger workflows, like parsing XML, classifying text, or performing basic calculations. On their own, these skills may be automatable. But in practice, they exist within broader systems that demand human judgment, contextual understanding, and quality control.

2. GenAI is Reshaping Human Roles in Jobs Where Most Skills Fall Into the Hybrid Transformation Category
   For example, a large majority (81%) of skills mentioned in the typical software development job posting fall into the hybrid transformation classifications. As GenAI takes over routine coding tasks, human developers are likely to shift from “doing the work” to “directing the work”— overseeing AI outputs, solving edge cases, and ensuring quality control. To oversee GenAI effectively, workers will very likely need to be able to outperform it in reasoning, domain expertise, and context.

3. GenAI is Changing Non-core Parts of The Jobs Where the Majority of Skills Fall Into the Minimal Transformation Category
   Roles requiring more physical presence and human interaction, including nursing, are likely to be less impacted. For example, two-thirds (68%) of listed skills in the typical nursing job posting fall into the minimal transformation category. However, communication, general administrative, and specific healthcare administrative-related skills are classified as hybrid transformation. GenAI has the potential to redistribute cognitive and administrative load, freeing time for patient-facing care.

4. GenAI Will Touch All Jobs — but Won’t Take Over Most
   More than a quarter (26%) of jobs posted on Indeed in the past year could be “highly” transformed by GenAI*. But the majority (54%) are likely to be “moderately” transformed*, and their evolution will depend on how quickly businesses adopt GenAI, and how well workers adapt and reskill. These jobs are not niche — they are mainstream. Their share of total postings means that what happens in this segment will shape the experience of GenAI in the workplace for a large portion of the labor force.

A quarter of US jobs are highly exposed to GenAI transformation

Hybrid Transformation is the Destination for Many Roles

It’s tempting to think that as GenAI improves, more skills will simply migrate into the “fully transformable” zone. But, full transformation remains more of a theoretical ceiling than the current norm. IHL's research shows that not all large language models are equally capable (or equally suitable) for every task. Performance varies by provider and use case, and choosing the right model is as much a strategic decision as a technical or even budgetary one. Infrastructure, process readiness, and risk appetite will all shape how far and fast companies can go.

What we are witnessing now is not a temporary phase; it’s the structural shift that underpins how GenAI is beginning to rewire the DNA of jobs. Hybrid transformation is not a bridge to full transformation — it is, for many roles, the destination.

Read the full AI at Work Report 2025: How GenAI is Rewiring the DNA of Jobs to learn more.