Empathy, Creativity, and Leadership: Human Skills AI Can’t Replace in the Workplace

The future of work will be shaped by uniquely human skills that AI cannot replicate, according to Jotform CEO Aytekin Tank, who highlights key job functions that are likely to remain the domain of human professionals even as AI adoption increases.

Empathy as a critical human skill: Roles that require empathy, such as therapists, social workers, teachers, and healthcare professionals, are unlikely to be replaced by AI:

• Studies show that while AI can initially provide emotional support, people ultimately prefer empathy from humans and feel less “heard” once they realize the responses are AI-generated.
• Empathetic professionals offer comfort and reassurance in a way that AI-powered tools cannot replicate, making their roles safe from AI takeover.

Complex negotiations require human expertise: While AI can handle straightforward contract negotiations, sophisticated and dynamic negotiation processes will remain the domain of human professionals:

• AI tools can eliminate mundane aspects of procurement executives’ jobs, but humans are still needed to decide on constraints, acceptable terms, and review completed negotiations.
• Real estate agents, attorneys, event planners, sales executives, and project managers are among the roles that require complex negotiation skills that AI cannot replace.

Creativity and creative direction as human strengths: Although AI can assist in brainstorming and generating ideas, humans remain uniquely capable of producing meaningful creative work and making final decisions:

• AI might imitate writing styles or compose music based on theory, but it lacks the taste, experience-based expertise, and point of view that humans bring to creative work.
• Humans will continue to lead creative projects, even if AI is used as a tool to generate initial ideas or content.

Human leadership remains essential: Despite AI’s ability to synthesize information and make data-based projections, employees prefer human leaders for guidance, motivation, and inspiration:

• Surveys show that the majority of employees have limited trust in AI’s ability to understand human behavior at work and make decisions about hiring, promotions, and work assignments.
• While AI may carry out certain leadership tasks, people ultimately want to be led by other people who can relate to their experiences and needs.

Broader implications and developing human-centered skills: To prepare for the future workplace, professionals should focus on developing skills associated with job functions that AI cannot perform:

• Cultivating empathy, active listening, patience, and questioning one’s assumptions will be valuable for roles requiring empathy.
• Learning to create value and understanding human behavior will be essential for successful negotiators.
• Consuming creative material and developing an authentic leadership style will help professionals excel in creative and leadership roles.
• By focusing on these human-centered skills, professionals can future-proof their careers and remain competitive in an AI-driven workplace.