Artificial intelligence is rapidly permeating nearly every aspect of commerce and our daily lives in time-saving but also mind-boggling ways. The required speed of adaptation in the workplace has many workers concerned their core job functions could be eclipsed by the expanding capacity of AI to complete tasks once the sole purview of humans. Indeed, AI may soon take over selected human functions, but this shift does not signal obsolescence of the human touch.
Soft skills, manifestations of the human touch, are and will remain central to how team work gets done. Indeed, many workplaces are doubling down on training opportunities in skills like communications, negotiation, collaboration, problem-solving, thought leadership and strategic thinking. While hard skills are also very important, these skills tend to have a shorter shelf life and may be more vulnerable to being overtaken by the growing capacity of AI to perform some of these tasks.
The term “soft skills” may be a misnomer, because this description seemingly undervalues the importance of human-centered skills in workplaces — their utility is critical in startups, growing businesses and larger companies. These skills are essential and timeless — they are refined through practice and render the team member more valuable in their current role and down the road for future job opportunities.
In the face of AI’s rapid expansion, how do team members increase their capacity to learn and practice essential skills? Such skills are core to the entrepreneurial mindset, often fostered in curricular and co-curricular programs on college and university campuses. Ways to learn these skills in the classroom or the conference room can come from team role playing, case studies, speakers and mentors. Beyond formal learning, reading great literature undoubtedly builds deeper human understanding that contributes to soft skill development.
A person’s work ethic is perhaps one of the most accurate and durable barometers of the degree to which they internalize soft skills as part of their career profile. Work ethic is demonstrated through unflagging dedication to one’s profession and team.
Soft skills help team members adapt and go the distance, even as the work environment changes over time. Flexibility and adaptability skills can be the connector that delivers the will to update hard skills to meet the emerging demands of a job. Where AI falls short, human-centered soft skills fill in the gaps. The work products generated by AI are not perfect given that they are derived from patterns identified in expansive datasets. Effective usage of AI work products requires human judgment and analytical ability to determine the veracity of the AI-assembled information. The human skills of curiosity and creativity allow the AI user to ask the right questions and probe the information delivered more deeply.
So, in a world that is changing at lightning speed, AI is positioned to have a radical impact on all knowledge industries. Now is the time to build up and practice soft skills so you will be ready to weather the seismic shifts coming in the workplace.
The Entrepreneurship Education Consortium is Northeast Ohio’s hub for the university-based entrepreneurship ecosystem.
