10.1%
prompt engineering's share of generative AI skill mentions in US AI job postings in 2025, up from 6.2% in 2024

What the chart shows

Within the generative AI skills that US AI job postings ask for, the mix shifted in 2025. Prompt engineering rose from 6.2% to 10.1% of mentions and retrieval-augmented generation almost doubled, from 2.9% to 5.7%.

The generic skill ‘generative AI’ still accounted for most mentions, but its share fell from 66.1% to 62.6%, the 5% decline the AI Index reports. Large language modelling slipped from 19.2% to 17.5%.

Key numbers

MeasureValue
Generative AI, 202562.62%
Generative AI, 202466.08%
Large language modelling, 202517.46%
Prompt engineering, 202510.07%
Prompt engineering, 20246.20%
Retrieval-augmented generation, 20255.71%

How to read it

  • The AI Index labels the measure ‘skill share in AI job postings’ without defining the base. The ten shares add up to 99.1% in 2025 (98.6% in 2024), so we read them as shares of all generative AI skill mentions in US AI job postings.
  • Changes in the text are in percentage points; the AI Index’s percentage changes (−5% for generative AI) are relative changes.
  • Counts for the same skills are in the related chart.
Source: Lightcast, 2025, via the AI Index Report 2026 (Stanford HAI), figure 4.4.6: Share of generative AI skills in AI job postings in the United States, 2024 vs. 2025. Chart and text by AI Adoption.
Numbers checked against the published data on 20 October 2026.
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