The Disruption Cascade

How AI Propagates Through the Stack

Layer 2 — Skills Architecture
AI enters here. Technical microskills commoditised overnight.
Layer 3 — Labour Types
Intellectual labour hollowed out — demand shifts to accountability & architectural
Layer 4 — Credentialing
Existing credentials lose signalling value — certificate inflation
Layer 5 — Organisational Architecture
Cannot staff new roles — redesigns stall at the PowerPoint stage
Layer 6 — Education & Development
Education produces more intellectual labourers — accountability gap widens
Layer 7 — Economy & Policy
Policy subsidises more courses — the cycle accelerates
Also from Layer 2
Downward Cascade
Layer 1 — Psychological Foundation
Junior work destroyed — developmental pipeline collapses — ZPD breaks
The Zone of Proximal Development requires scaffolded practice. Without junior roles, there is no ladder.

The system responds to demand for accountability by producing more of the thing AI is replacing