Short-term gain, long-term pain? A conceptual model on AI’s impact on human skill development

This conceptual paper examines how artificial intelligence (AI) use affects skill development and retention. Our model reveals three key phenomena: the Performance-Leveling Effect, where AI narrows performance gaps between novices and experts; the Augmentation-Deskilling Paradox, highlighting tensions between immediate performance gains and foundational skill erosion; and AI Capability Loss, where users (especially novices) cannot fully exploit AI's potential due to the underdevelopment of central meta-skills essential for effective AI use: prompting and output evaluation.