5 Steps to Avoid Being 'De-Skilled'
Half of leaders say collective workforce judgement is eroding in the AI era. How to keep your critical human skills sharp.
We’re always looking for shortcuts to make work go faster and better. That’s why we in-vented email, customer-relations software, and spreadsheets—and before them, pocket calculators, slide rules, and abacuses. Still, all those devices have required a hefty dose of human judgment, creative thinking, problem-solving skills, and curiosity to turn the information they produced into something useful.
Some workers may be tempted to use AI, the latest technological innovation, as a substitute for human judgment. The consensus among experts is that AI will function best as a partner to, not a replacement for, human ingenuity and skill, but according to a recent survey, half of senior executives say they’re seeing the collective judgment of their workforce erode. Worse, 60% say that this “de-skilling” poses a significant threat to their organizations over the next few years. It’s somewhat ironic, because many CEOs say their workers need to be “re-skilled” to best use AI. “Much of what makes us human, AI can-not replicate, such as truly listening, using intuition, and demonstrating empathy,” says Val Olson Armstrong, a Korn Ferry executive coach and associate principal.
For CEOs, this is an organizational problem to solve—but individuals can take several steps to both sharpen and showcase their own critical human skills while using AI.
Don’t just share the AI’s output. Tell a story.
It’s become extraordinarily easy to shove gigabytes’ worth of raw data into an AI agent and have it spit out correlations, averages, and other data. But while AI can produce this output, it doesn't understand your business, your specific brand hazards, or your internal politics. For example, AI won’t be sitting in the room with the sales director to hash out the marketing plan it produces—you will. When AI generates a strategy or piece of copy, don't just pass it along. Explain how the AI’s output makes sense (or doesn’t) in the con-text of the company’s priorities.
Show you can handle ambiguity.
AI often can’t handle information gaps. Indeed, in an uncertain environment, AI agents often give authoritative answers that can be anything but. Bosses will appreciate when you not only acknowledge the uncertainty, but also show agility in handling it. “Demonstrate that you can handle ambiguity,” Armstrong says. When you present data or findings, separate what you do know from what you don’t know, and make recommendations on next steps.
Be empathetic.
AI is built on averages and historical data; it predicts the most likely next word or trend. Because of this, it doesn’t do a good job of anticipating—or thinking through—how hu-mans might react to its output. Having some awareness in this regard can be especially critical during a crisis or a cultural shift. Instead of just copying and doing exactly what the AI produces, layer it through with what you’ve heard from clients or colleagues.
Share your thinking process.
As more and more people have access to AI, the volume of mediocre, “good enough” content in the market is skyrocketing. What humans can do is provide context and judgment, Armstrong says. For example, if an AI produces three marketing-plan options, walk your colleagues through each one, then explain why you’ve selected one of them as the best.
Explain why something matters.
An AI agent will almost always be able to code, write, and calculate faster a person can. However, it’s limited by the logic, decision-making, and reasoning of its human operator. David Napeloni, Korn Ferry’s vice president of client services for global RPO, has a client who can now, thanks to AI, complete a coding project in three months that previously would have taken years. It’s great, the client says, but none of the code would make any sense without his client’s knowledge and experience. “The client points out to his bosses that it couldn’t have been done without him,” Napeloni says.
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