Artificial intelligence adoption and the demand for managerial expertise

Abstract Research Summary This paper examines how firms' adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) relates to the demand for managers and managerial skills. Using a skills‐based measure of AI adoption derived from Lightcast job postings, we show that firms with greater AI adoption post more managerial vacancies and a higher share of such vacancies than less intensive adopters. These relationships are strongest in manufacturing and among firms with higher research & development intensity. Greater AI adoption is also associated with shifts in managerial skill requirements toward interpersonal and growth‐oriented skills, including stakeholder management, creativity, and sales management, and away from routine administrative skills such as budgeting, planning, staff management, and customer service. Overall, the results suggest a reconfiguration of managerial roles toward capabilities facilitating scaling, coordination, and adaptation in AI‐enabled environments. Managerial Summary As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more prevalent within firms, managers and executives face a practical question about how managerial roles may change. Using US job postings data from 2010 to 2022, we find that firms with higher AI adoption exhibit relatively greater demand for managerial roles, especially in manufacturing and among more innovative firms. We also find that more intensive AI adoption is associated with changes in what managers are expected to do. Demand shifts away from routine administrative skills such as budgeting and planning and toward growth‐related skills such as sales, creativity, and stakeholder management. Overall, the evidence suggests a growing emphasis on managerial roles that relate to scaling, coordination, and organizational adaptation.