“Will you be replaced by technology?”
“Can you replace your staff with automation driven by artificial intelligence?”

Those were questions asked more than once at last week’s 2025 OPEN MINDS Technology & Analytics Institute. The answer is, of course: It depends. And that could be very bad or very good for you and for your organization.

I agree with the overall sentiment that technology in general, artificial intelligence (AI) specifically, will allow humans to get rid of boring tasks and do “higher value” work (see AI Could Make These Common Jobs More Productive Without Sacrificing Quality). But the workforce that survives tech-enabled automation will need some very specific skills—emotional intelligence, leadership, creative thinking, critical thinking, and adaptability (see …