Knowing how to write effective prompts for artificial intelligence tools may no longer be enough to stand out at work, with business leaders increasingly emphasising curiosity, adaptability and sound judgement as the technology transforms the workplace.
Nestlé Chief Executive Philipp Navratil says workers must understand not only how to use AI but also how it could fundamentally change the way their businesses operate.
His remarks echo those of executives at Walmart, EY, Greenhouse and Indeed, who have highlighted the importance of skills that go beyond technical expertise as AI takes on more workplace tasks.
In an interview with Business Insider, Navratil said employees needed to understand their businesses, the capabilities of AI and how the technology was evolving.
That did not mean mastering every technical aspect of AI. Rather, workers should be able to recognise opportunities to use it more effectively.
The Nestlé chief, who oversees more than 270,000 employees worldwide, warned against simply adding AI tools to existing ways of working.
Doing so could make operations more complicated instead of simplifying them, he said.
Navratil urged employees to rethink established processes, identify unnecessary steps and consider how AI could eliminate or streamline them.
That could free up time for analysing data, engaging with business partners and making decisions more quickly.
Curiosity and Adaptability
Four other business leaders have placed similar emphasis on the ability to learn and adjust as technology changes.
Speaking to CNBC Make It at Forbes' Future of Work Summit in New York on Oct 6, Daniel Chait, chief executive of hiring platform Greenhouse, said rapidly changing technologies were making enduring human capabilities more valuable.
Skills once dismissed as less important than technical expertise were becoming increasingly central to employers' expectations, he said.
Lorraine "Lo" Stomski, Walmart's chief talent officer, highlighted curiosity and the importance of being a lifelong learner.
Ginnie Carlier, EY's Americas chief talent and culture officer, went further, describing learning as a "meta skill" that underpins the ability to develop other skills.
Chait also stressed adaptability and resilience, noting that employees could learn a particular tool only to find it replaced by another.
As technical skills become outdated more quickly, he argued, workers who can demonstrate an ability to learn, adapt and contribute in different ways will remain valuable to employers.
Higher Expectations for New Recruits
The executives also pointed to changing expectations for people entering the workforce.
Stomski said employers were raising the bar for entry-level recruits as AI increasingly assisted with, or took over, responsibilities traditionally assigned to junior employees.
Instead of simply performing routine tasks, new recruits were expected to demonstrate critical thinking and judgement from the outset.
Carlier said employees also needed to assess both the information they fed into AI systems and the responses they received.
She described this as a form of "AI responsibility", in which workers evaluate the quality of AI-generated material and remain accountable for the results.
The emphasis is shifting from simply completing tasks to assessing whether the work produced is accurate, useful and fit for purpose.
What Does AI Fluency Really Mean?
While traditional human skills remain important, workers also need a basic understanding of AI itself.
But Hannah Calhoon, Indeed's vice-president of AI and head of AI innovation, warned that employers were not always clear about what that involved.
Speaking to CNBC Make It, she said "AI fluency" had become a popular expression, much like "digital literacy", without necessarily having a consistent meaning across organisations.
Calhoon said a general understanding of AI should include knowing how the tools work, recognising their strengths and limitations, understanding potential risks and being able to question their responses.
The specific skills required could vary significantly between departments, she added, making it important for employers to explain what they expected from their staff.
The executives offered no single formula for staying competitive in an AI-driven workplace.
Their advice, however, points in a similar direction: workers need to keep learning, exercise judgement and understand how AI can improve their work rather than simply relying on it to complete existing tasks.