IBM Study Shows Disconnect Between AI Skills Priorities

A new global study from IBM reveals a significant disconnect between the skills Chief Human Resource Officers (CHROs) believe are essential for an AI-driven workforce and those that employees prioritize. The study, which surveyed 1,500 CHROs and 8,800 employees, found that 60% of employees worry AI is eroding their skills, with critical thinking cited most often as declining. However, CHROs identify the ability to supervise, validate, and override AI outputs as the most essential skill, with only 29% of employees ranking judgment as important.

The study highlights that critical thinking and human judgment are among the most important capabilities for the workforce in the AI era. CHROs see critical thinking as a key skill, with 57% identifying it as essential, and human judgment as 48% essential. Meanwhile, 49% of employees and 57% of CHROs say critical thinking and problem framing are among the skills that matter most in the AI era.

Organizations that are creating the greatest value from AI are redesigning work, decision-making, and workforce capabilities around people and technology. These organizations report achieving 18% risk reduction and 20% quality improvement. However, nearly half (46%) of organizations do not involve the CHRO when defining AI strategy, which can lead to gaps in accountability and deployment.

According to Nickle LaMoreaux, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at IBM, "AI is changing not only how work gets done, but where people can contribute the greatest value. As AI takes on more routine and process-driven tasks, uniquely human capabilities become even more important. CHROs have a critical role to play in redesigning the workplace of the future so people can focus on the areas where they can have the greatest impact."

The study also found that 43% of employees report that when something goes wrong with AI, the blame falls on them, while 41% of CHROs believe employees may not feel safe challenging or overriding AI outputs. This lack of clarity in accountability can complicate AI deployment. Only 28% of CHROs report a joint roadmap with IT backed by a shared operating cadence, and 73% say they struggle to coordinate consistently across the C-suite.

Where judgment is built into how work is done, 62% of CHROs report growing employee confidence in AI-enabled decisions; where it is not, 57% report confidence declining. Additionally, 80% of CHROs believe AI adoption creates "invisible" work for employees, including validating recommendations, fixing mistakes, providing context, and managing exceptions. This invisible work can increase employees' workload or make their contributions go unrecognized.

Despite the growing importance of AI, only 72% of organizations make limited or no use of AI inside the HR function. CHROs rate HR's capabilities particularly low in AI literacy across the team (13%), AI performance measurement (16%), and change management for AI adoption (20%). Organizations with mature HR AI capability, including governance, architecture, and measurement, are nearly twice as likely to report a higher number of positive business KPIs.

In conclusion, the study underscores the need for CHROs to play a more active role in AI strategy and to ensure that human judgment and critical thinking remain central to the workforce. By doing so, organizations can better leverage AI to enhance decision-making and improve overall business performance.