To stay relevant in the AI age, develop these skills
For all the talk about AI replacing workers, rumours of the demise of human employees may be greatly exaggerated – at least in most corporate communications teams, new research suggests.
In a recent survey by The Conference Board, conducted in partnership with Bowen Craggs, 21% of senior corporate communicators said they expect their teams to shrink as a result of AI, but 9% said they expect to need more human team members, rather than fewer, to meet the moment.
A closer look at the data suggests that uniquely human skills will become more important too, even as artificial intelligence takes on a bigger role in communications work. The mix of skills that matter is shifting quickly, though.
A chart from our research with The Conference Board, depicting the most important future skills of communicators.
What corporate communicators need to know
- Judgement is now the most important skill. Reasoning, decision-making, and strategic thinking rank among the most important growing competencies in this corner of communication. AI surfaces information; human communicators must decide what it means.
- Relationships still define the profession. “Relationship building and emotional intelligence” (50%) and “human communication and interaction” (46%) remain essential skills. One CCO said, "Communications is a friendship profession." Authentic human connection needs to be considered competitive advantage, not a nice to have.
- AI literacy is now a baseline requirement. Using general AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity (76%) and specialised AI tools or software (52%) both rank in the top five skills that communications leaders say are becoming more important. Fluency with AI is no longer optional, but what distinguishes stand-out communicators will be the judgment applied to AI outputs.
- Content execution is moving to the machines. Data analysis (24%), maintaining voice and tone (14%) and creative output (12%) are the skills most likely to be handed off, at least partly, to AI. The human role shifts from doing these tasks to directing, judging, and quality-controlling them.
A final thought
The research makes clear that communications expertise is becoming a less valuable commodity in the eyes of senior decision-makers. With this in mind, corporate digital communicators need to actively cultivate AI knowledge while also flexing critical and creative decision-making abilities. On the plus side, the near future seems unlikely to be dull.
Go deeper
The Conference Board surveyed nearly 100 senior marketing and communications leaders, including 50 senior corporate communicators, in North America and Europe. Bowen Craggs supported the survey and insights as a knowledge partner.
If you are a Conference Board member, you can read the full report, “Important Human Skills in the Age of AI” on The Conference Board’s website.
Further reading
New research: How AI is reshaping reputation – and the teams behind it