Humably
Model
The Capability Model
A Working Model of the Human Capabilities That Matter in an AI-Enabled World
CH-M-001 v1.4 · Published July 10, 2026 · Updated October 23, 2026
Michael D. Lapico · Capably Human · 30 min read
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Open the libraryPublication Details
- ID
- CH-M-001
- Version
- v1.4
- Type
- Model
- Published by
- Capably Human
- Author
- Michael D. Lapico
- First published
- July 10, 2026
- Last updated
- October 23, 2026
- Reading time
- 30 min read
- Formats
- Web · PDF
Builds on
- CH-F-001The Capability Fitness Framework
Cite this publication
Capably Human Inc. (2026). The Capability Model (CH-M-001, v1.4). capablyhuman.com/CH-M-001
© 2026 Capably Human Inc. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). You may share unchanged copies for non-commercial purposes, with the full citation above. Commercial use, including paid workshops, training, coaching or consulting, and use in paid products, courses, software, or AI products and datasets, requires a licence from Capably Human Inc.
Short link capablyhuman.com/CH-M-001
TL;DR
The Capability Model organizes Capability Fitness into five domains — Think, Learn, Focus, Create, and Adapt — decomposed into twenty-six observable sub-skills. Each sub-skill is defined so it can be seen in behavior, developed through practice, and measured over time.
Progress on every sub-skill is described on one four-level scale of independence: Prompted → Guided → Independent → Transferred. The purpose of development is to move rightward on that scale, with support reduced as capability grows. Transfer — capability that operates outside the place it was practiced — is the level that ultimately matters.
Artificial intelligence runs through the whole model as a lens rather than a separate domain. Every sub-skill carries a characteristic failure mode of AI use: a way in which delegating the work too early can substitute for the practice that builds the capability. The model is designed to make those patterns observable, so that the way people work with AI can be designed to strengthen each capability rather than replace it.
Working Definition
The Capability Model is a developmental model of the human capabilities most affected by how people work with AI — the capabilities AI use can strengthen or substitute for, and those it newly demands — organized into five domains and twenty-six observable sub-skills, each developed along a four-level scale from prompted performance to independent transfer.
Contents
20 sections · 30 min read
- ·Executive Summary
- ·Purpose, Audience, and Scope
- ·A Note on Evidence and Model Status
- 1.Why Human Capability Must Be Modeled
- 2.The Architecture of the Capability Model
- 3.The Five Domains and Their Sub-Skills
- 4.Proficiency: From Prompted to Transferred
- 5.How the Domains Work Together
- 6.Development Across the Lifespan
- 7.Artificial Intelligence and the Capability Model
- 8.Observing and Measuring Capability
- 9.Research Agenda
- 10.Practical Implications
- 11.The Role of Capably Human
- ·Conclusion
- ·Glossary of Key Terms
- ·Selected Research Foundations
- ·Preliminary References
- ·Version History
- ·Citation and Licence
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