Recruiters Are Treating AI Like the New React

Summary

Lucas Kostka argues that AI has become a new version of React in technology job descriptions: a fashionable requirement applied far beyond roles that clearly need it. While searching for work in analytics and martech, he repeatedly encountered listings demanding generative AI skills, MCP, RAG, custom harnesses, token optimization, or agentic workflows. He criticizes postings that ask candidates to have several years of experience with technologies that were released much more recently, including requests for five years of agentic experience or proof of deploying agentic workflows at scale. Kostka suggests that these requirements reflect recruiter panic and keyword stuffing rather than a clear understanding of the underlying tools. He also questions why recruiters who do not research terms such as RAG, MCP, or the difference between agents and workflows would avoid using an LLM to catch obvious errors. His broader argument is that companies appear to be signaling enthusiasm for AI consumption without demonstrating a well-defined use case or investment rationale.