The skills that become more essential in the age of AI
When I started my master’s research project, I focused on the disappearance of entry-level jobs, an issue that felt increasingly relevant. The causes are mixed, a slow economy, global uncertainty, and although AI isn’t the main reason, it’s still eating up entry-level tasks or making them easier.
In design, it’s not the entry-level tasks that are most affected, but the early exploration ones: generating first drafts, alternative layouts, or draft UX copy. And it’s only getting better over time, relentlessly devaluing a (human) designer. A founder or business-minded person might think, why do I need to hire a human designer if I can just subscribe for 20 bucks? Or, I just need a one person who’s great at prompt engineering and can run LLMs to design, code, write copy, like a conductor in an orchestra.
This defensive state sent me down the rabbit hole of what AI can’t do, what it can’t replace. I found things like curiosity, judgment, empathy, connecting ideas, systems thinking, and problem solving. Are these new skills? Not really. They’ve just been buried under conversations about pixel-perfect work, design systems, and cool micro-interactions.
On the other hand, we can see AI in a more positive light. It offers opportunities to help our work. When I interviewed leaders and designers who use AI, a recurring theme emerged:
“AI is just a tool.”
“It’s only as good as the person using it and that person’s depth in their domain.”
Good judgment complements the use of AI — and to develop good judgment, you need other skills: synthesis, critical thinking, systems thinking, and the ability to frame or reframe a lens.
Looking at it from both sides, the need to protect and the chance to grow point to the same thing: human skills — the very abilities that make us human are what make us more valuable and make the use of AI more effective.
What do you think? I’m curious about your thoughts on the skills that are becoming more important in the age of AI. Let me know in the comment.
Until next time,
Thomas
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