NEW YORK (AP) — Numerous employees worry that machines will replace them as artificial intelligence technology spreads rapidly through workplaces.
However, what if humans possess characteristics that are both uniquely human and crucial for professional achievement that AI cannot easily substitute?
Several workplace specialists believe that as more companies implement AI technology, developing soft skills like empathy, critical thinking and ethical decision-making can help workers become irreplaceable.
Throughout various industries and job types, “the abilities that resist being replaced by AI are those that are most uniquely human,” stated Maria Flynn, president and CEO of Jobs for the Future, a nonprofit organization focused on workforce development. “Some of these include building relationships, resolving conflicts, the capacity to guide and inspire others, and making ethical judgments.”
Flynn noted that even when posting technical positions like IT support, companies indicate they want candidates who communicate effectively and demonstrate leadership qualities.
“We began using the phrase ‘durable skills’ and consider them as abilities that truly are lasting, maintaining their worth through economic changes, technological advances and labor market disruptions,” she explained. “And we believe, particularly now during this period of AI progress, that durable skills genuinely make workers valuable in the workplace, no matter what tools and technology become available.”
Below are five abilities to develop based on areas where specialists say humans maintain advantages over artificial intelligence.
Understanding body language and reading between the lines to understand what wasn’t directly stated are abilities that many believe humans perform best. These skills also support the capacity to demonstrate empathy, and being aware of others’ emotions is a desirable quality in employees.
Marco Iansiti, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, witnessed this personally during a hospital visit.
“A nurse provides incredibly human influence. Emotion, connecting with the patient, the kind of care that is so crucial,” Iansiti explained. “I recall moments when I was ill in the hospital and the nurse was like a blessing. Would I have allowed a robot to do the same? No. There was a human bond there that I found extremely valuable.”
AI could assist in hospital environments by handling routine tasks like paperwork, allowing nurses more time to deliver caring patient treatment, he noted.
“There are many systems being implemented now that I believe are highly effective at this and basically free healthcare workers to perform the tasks they should be doing and excel at.”
Creating solid personal connections with coworkers, clients and stakeholders continues to be a valued ability that experts say artificial intelligence systems struggle to duplicate. Sales professionals, for instance, maintain files or databases containing information they’ve gathered about clients through direct interactions.
“You have individuals who have trusted you and purchased products from you over the past decade. That holds worth and that’s difficult to transfer to artificial intelligence,” Iansiti said.
People skills also prove invaluable during conflicts. “Having that human involved to manage those expectations, to smooth any hurt feelings, to create the kinds of relationships that are necessary, to speed up quality work, will still be essential,” Flynn stated.
Conflict resolution remains a necessary trait for managers, according to Colleen Adler, director analyst in the human resources practice at the Gartner consulting firm.
“People still have managers, and managers and leaders influence how they feel, and colleagues affect how we feel too,” Adler said. “There remains a quality to AI that doesn’t yet replicate human connection. That might change; I don’t believe we’re at that point yet.”
Work settings are changing quickly and many workers feel they’re moving from one challenging situation to another, Adler observed. While AI systems can’t help employees feel better about that uncertainty, effective leaders can support their teams, she added.
Artificial intelligence systems gather information and create responses but can produce errors, making it crucial to question their output. Building extensive knowledge in your field can help you recognize when AI-generated results about your industry are wrong, said Amalia Kaufman, course developer and instructor at the University of California, Irvine Division of Continuing Education.
“You must have the thinking ability and critical analysis and subject expertise to understand it, and to recognize when it’s incorrect,” Kaufman said. “You must verify your facts.”
In research published in the journal Science, Stanford researchers examined 11 popular AI systems and discovered that artificial intelligence chatbots tended to flatter and validate users’ feelings, supporting a user’s actions 49% more frequently than humans did. Stepping back and using critical thinking when reviewing AI-generated results can help counter its tendency to be overly agreeable with users.
The capacity to differentiate right from wrong, or follow one’s inner voice, is an ability that is naturally human, experts stated.
Sometimes, people depend on physical sensations to guide their choices. “Gut feelings are something you experience in your gut,” Iansiti said. “It’s not simply a pattern of information processing in your brain. It is actually an emotional response that is fundamentally different from how AI functions. At least this current generation of AI.”
When life-or-death choices must be made, such as when to employ deadly military action, “do you want something that lacks human emotion, that doesn’t have a physical form connected with the intelligence?” Iansiti questioned. “AI can pretend to have a conscience because it’s learned about what conscience means, but it doesn’t possess a conscience.”
People can create parameters, or guidelines, for artificial intelligence systems to help AI make ethical choices, he said. But human involvement is still necessary.
“It’s extremely difficult to design a system that’s ethical for everything. It’s much more effective to build it for a particular use case. Like hiring,” Iansiti said.
Ethical concerns aren’t the only ones that AI is less prepared to address currently. The ability to generate creative concepts and make choices in unclear situations — while planning strategies or creating a brand identity, for instance — is another significant human capability, experts said.
“We don’t think that’s something that will be duplicated by artificial intelligence,” said Heather Stefanski, chief learning and development officer at management consulting firm McKinsey. “If we’re all simply using the AI solution to solve problems, how will you truly be unique?”
Humans make decisions based on a combination of knowledge and life experiences, Flynn said. Artificial intelligence uses extensive data but doesn’t necessarily function well in uncertain areas, Flynn noted. For now, the ability to consider all aspects of an issue and provide context remains a type of intelligence that people have to a greater degree than AI, she said.
“The qualities that make us uniquely human to me will continue to be what helps our society flourish in productive ways,” Flynn said. “And ensuring that we are highlighting those qualities, paying attention to them, making sure those are characteristics that people can identify and express and feel confident about, will be important as we all navigate a rapidly changing future.”
