As AI continues to permeate most job functions, particularly at the entry level, the impact on the development of core skills should be an increasing concern for HR, experts say.
Lisa Buckingham, chief people and culture officer at Vialto Partners, recently told HR Executive that organizations are facing down not just skills gaps, but a real “skills collapse,” as the growth of AI means “there are going to be some skills that are just gone.”
“If AI can do everything, do skills matter anymore?” is a real question HR is now facing, adds Teuila Hanson, chief people officer of LinkedIn, who quickly adds that skills are more important than ever. Yet, they will be “different,” with a heavier emphasis on innately “human” skills.
Yet, if HR leaders assume such capabilities will “develop on their own,” they’re putting their organizations at a real risk, says Yolanda Seals-Coffield, PwC chief people and inclusion officer. In the age of AI, employees are turning to tech to streamline routine tasks, meaning they’re less likely to have “organic opportunities” to develop the skills that come with making mistakes, facing complex problems and needing to ask follow-up questions.
PwC is taking a very strategic approach to building skills like curiosity, critical thinking and judgement within its workforce, through hands-on work with clients, team-based coaching, AI-powered learning and apprenticeships.
“We must be intentional about infusing human skills so that we bring the right context and experience to solve problems,” Seals-Coffield says.
Underlying that work, Seals-Coffield says, is an emphasis on “The Pause”—especially critical as employees work more often alongside AI, the speed of which can make it easy for employees to act quickly, without thinking critically, on output that may be biased on inaccurate.
“The Pause is a quick moment to step back and ask what might be missing or whether an answer actually makes sense,” Seals-Coffield says. “It’s a simple habit, but it helps keep our decision-making thoughtful, especially as AI becomes more ingrained in our everyday work.”
Learning to stop and question the output of AI is a “simple habit,” she says, that PwC is hoping becomes second nature for employees, deepening their propensity for critical thinking—both in the context of AI and outside of it.
The Pause, she adds, isn’t about second-guessing, but rather about keeping employees “engaged and accountable,” which she says is building confidence in human judgment, especially critical for early-in-career talent.
At the same time, it’s an approach that is also reducing hesitation around AI use.
“When people are encouraged to slow down, ask a few questions and sense-check AI output, they actually feel more comfortable using these tools,” she says. “It reinforces that human skills are critical to our success in the age of AI.”
A culture of learning and questioning
The focus on core human skills starts from day one at PwC. New joiners now participate in an immersive AI + Human Skills learning session, which provides hands-on learning opportunities created from real client work. The training is customized by lines of services, giving new employees an opportunity to build skills they will use in their real day-to-day work.
“Throughout the sessions,” Seals-Coffield says, “teams are encouraged to pause, question and reflect on the results.”
PwC reinforces those approaches through other development experiences along the career journey, as well as its AI learning pathways, which are available to employees across all levels and partners.
Learning needs to keep up with how work is changing, she adds. PwC’s apprenticeship model, for instance—which connects professionals with hands-on learning experiences and opportunities to pursue higher education—ensures that, even as automation changes tasks, “the learning behind them isn’t lost.”
Apprenticeship isn’t just a formal program at PwC; it’s part of the culture, she says. Leaders know it’s critical to coach in real time, and to help their teams “learn through” the work—and they will continue to be critical to helping employees develop core skills in the age of AI.
“That kind of everyday modeling has a ripple effect,” she says. “When teams see that reflection and judgment are part of strong leadership, they’re more likely to build those habits themselves.”
