This lecture draws on research from the Skill Scale Group (www.skillscale.org) at the Oxford Internet Institute, which challenges the common dystopian view that artificial intelligence will cause mass technological unemployment. Instead, the project’s findings show that, as with past general-purpose technologies such as electricity or the Internet, the diffusion of AI has created a surge in demand for new skills—and would not be possible without skilled workers. Today, we see rising demand for people skilled in developing, maintaining, and applying AI. Workers with AI skills are offered on average 23% higher salaries, are twice as likely to receive parental leave, and have a fourfold higher chance of being invited to job interviews. Yet this demand has led to a significant skills mismatch, with important implications for the workforce, the economy, and society at large. The Skill Scale project highlights potential policy responses, including integrating learning into working life and accrediting informal skills.