The 4 levels of AI in jobs

It depends on what is being ranked. Capability scales rank the technology: narrow AI, general AI and super AI. OpenAI's roadmap ranks AI systems in five stages, from chatbots to AI that can do the work of an organization. Level ranks jobs instead: four levels that say how central AI is to the work described in a job posting.

Source: IBM, Understanding the different types of artificial intelligence

AI job levels sort job postings by how much of the work depends on AI. Level uses four: Builds AI (AI Level 4), Works on AI (AI Level 3), Uses AI (AI Level 2) and Little AI (AI Level 1). On November 8, 2026, Little AI was the largest group, with 158,000+ of 185,000+ live jobs (86%).

Each job description gets a score from 0 to 100 based on the AI tools and models it names, the skills it asks for and how much of the described work depends on them. A score of 80 or more is Builds AI (AI Level 4), 60 to 79 is Works on AI (AI Level 3), 40 to 59 is Uses AI (AI Level 2), and anything below 40 is Little AI (AI Level 1). The thresholds are fixed, not percentiles.

The best-known five-level scale is OpenAI's roadmap for AI systems: chatbots, reasoners, agents, innovators and organizations. It describes what AI systems can do, not what people do with them. Level's four levels describe jobs, so the two scales answer different questions.

Source: Sterc, The 5 levels of AI systems

The seven types usually listed combine two classifications. By capability: narrow AI, general AI and super AI. By functionality: reactive machines, limited memory, theory of mind and self-aware AI. Only narrow AI exists today; the other capability types are theoretical.

Source: IBM, Understanding the different types of artificial intelligence

There is no single seven-level standard. Published seven-step lists mix AI capability and personal AI usage, and they do not match each other. The closest widely cited set is the seven types of AI: three by capability and four by functionality.

Source: IBM, Understanding the different types of artificial intelligence

As a technology, ChatGPT is narrow AI, and chatbots are the first stage of OpenAI's five-level roadmap. As a job requirement, the level depends on the work around it: of the 1,000+ live jobs on Level that name ChatGPT on November 8, 2026, 5% are Builds AI (AI Level 4), 17% Works on AI (AI Level 3), 34% Uses AI (AI Level 2), 44% Little AI (AI Level 1).

Source: IBM, Understanding the different types of artificial intelligence

In job postings, the three AI tools named most often across Level's live jobs on November 8, 2026 are Python (9,700+ jobs), AWS (5,600+ jobs), Excel (4,500+ jobs). This counts employer requirements, not consumer usage.