In today’s workplace, evolution isn’t driven by biology — it’s driven by technology. As generative AI rapidly transforms how work gets done, HR leaders face an uncomfortable question: What happens when employees start losing certain skills to AI? Rather than resisting this shift, the most forward-thinking HR professionals are realizing that letting go of some traditional competencies is not a threat, but a strategic opportunity.
This reframing is critical in navigating the so-called “ChatGPT effect,” where AI takes over tasks once core to human roles. Yet, as an expert in hybrid work models and AI integration, I challenge this perspective and tell my clients that having their employees lose certain skills to AI, much like the advent of calculators and the internet, is not only inevitable, but also beneficial to human progress. For HR, the challenge isn’t to preserve outdated skills, but to guide talent toward higher-value capabilities that AI cannot replicate.
The Value of Letting Go: Lessons from the Past
The calculator era offers a compelling parallel. When digital calculators became mainstream in the 1970s, many feared students would forget how to do long division or algebraic equations by hand. And they were right — those manual skills did atrophy. But what was lost in rote calculation was gained in analytical thinking and problem-solving, abilities far more aligned with today’s professional demands.
Moving on to the realm of knowledge, the “Google Effect” has had a similar transformative impact. A study in 2008 revealed a trend among the younger generation to lean heavily on search engines for information, leading to a decline in memory retention.
HR leaders today face a similar shift. If AI tools can write clean code, generate content, or even translate languages better and faster than many employees, insisting that people retain those skills for their own sake misses the point. Instead, the opportunity is to redeploy that human talent toward tasks that require judgment, empathy, and creativity — domains where AI still lags far behind.
In fact, one could argue that losing certain technical skills is a sign of progress. Just as we don’t expect employees to memorize thousands of facts when Google can retrieve them in seconds, we shouldn’t expect them to spend hours drafting reports if AI can produce a quality first draft in moments. The role of HR is to help teams evolve, not to chain them to legacy skills.
Redefining Human Value in the Age of AI
This shift requires a rethinking of how HR evaluates talent. Traditional metrics focused heavily on technical mastery, often rewarding those who could perform repeatable tasks with precision. But as Gen AI takes over those functions, a new set of performance indicators is emerging — ones centered on adaptability, emotional intelligence, collaboration, and strategic thinking.
Consider content creation. Gen AI can now generate marketing copy, internal communications, and policy documents. But what it cannot do — and what HR should reward — is infuse these materials with authentic voice, organizational nuance, and emotional resonance. The AI can write; the human makes it matter.
In programming, AI can now assist in writing and debugging code. For HR teams supporting tech functions, this means shifting hiring and development practices to prioritize architectural thinking and cross-functional collaboration rather than proficiency in a single coding language. The most valuable engineers are no longer the fastest coders, but those who can design scalable systems, interpret business needs, and lead diverse teams.
This is not about diminishing human contributions. Quite the opposite — it’s about refining our expectations to better align with the work humans are uniquely equipped to do. It’s a strategic pivot from skills-based hiring to strength-based development.
Cultivating an AI-Ready Workforce
To support this evolution, HR departments must focus on reskilling, not just upskilling. Upskilling implies enhancement within an existing skill set. Reskilling, by contrast, embraces transformation — helping employees shift into entirely new competencies that align with where value is moving in the organization.
For example, instead of offering more advanced courses in Excel, companies might offer training in data storytelling and ethical data use. Instead of doubling down on traditional language learning programs, they might offer cross-cultural communication training that complements AI translation tools.
Psychological safety also plays a vital role here. Employees need to feel secure enough to let go of skills that once defined their value. HR must create environments where experimentation is encouraged, mistakes are seen as part of growth, and career development is framed as a dynamic journey, not a static ladder.
This cultural foundation is essential to combat the very real fear that AI will render some roles obsolete. The truth is, some roles will evolve beyond recognition — but if HR leads with transparency and opportunity, these changes can be a source of empowerment rather than anxiety.
Leading Through the Real Challenges of AI
While the fear of skill loss is often exaggerated, there are genuine threats posed by AI — and HR has a central role to play in mitigating them.
Misinformation and bias are top among them. AI tools, trained on vast datasets, can inherit and even amplify systemic biases if not properly managed. HR leaders must partner with IT and compliance to ensure that AI tools used in recruitment, performance evaluation, and workforce planning are fair, transparent, and aligned with the organization’s values.
Moreover, as AI begins to influence how decisions are made — who gets hired, promoted, or disciplined — HR must retain ultimate accountability. AI can support decision-making, but it cannot replace the ethical judgment required to weigh context, history, and humanity. HR is the steward of that judgment.
Another emerging challenge is digital fatigue. As AI tools increase the pace of work, employees may feel overwhelmed by the constant flow of data and decisions. HR must be proactive in setting boundaries, designing sustainable workflows, and ensuring that automation serves people, not the other way around.
From a more long-term perspective, and most consequentially, there’s the existential question: Could AI, particularly superintelligent AI, pose a threat to human existence? Could we inadvertently create an AI so powerful that it might see us, its creators, as redundant or even as obstacles? This might seem like science fiction, but it’s a concern shared by hundreds of leaders in the field of AI.
Finally, HR must champion AI literacy across the organization. Understanding what AI can and cannot do is no longer a tech team responsibility — it’s a leadership imperative. HR is uniquely positioned to integrate AI education into learning and development initiatives, from onboarding to executive training.
HR as the Conductor of Human-AI Collaboration
In the end, losing skills to AI is not a crisis. It’s a call to rethink what we mean by talent, performance, and growth. For HR professionals, this is not a passive moment — it’s a moment to lead.
Just as a conductor doesn’t play every instrument but brings together musicians into a powerful ensemble, HR leaders don’t need to preserve every human task. Instead, they should orchestrate an environment where people and AI complement each other, where tools free us to do more meaningful work, and where the measure of success is not what we retain, but what we reimagine.
By letting go of outdated fears and embracing the evolution of work, HR can guide organizations through a period of profound transformation — one where humans don’t just survive the AI revolution but thrive because of it.
Dr. Gleb Tsipursky was named “Office Whisperer” by The New York Times for helping leaders overcome frustrations with hybrid work and Generative AI. He serves as the CEO of the future-of-work consultancy Disaster Avoidance Experts. Dr. Gleb wrote seven best-selling books, and his two most recent ones are Returning to the Office and Leading Hybrid and Remote Teams and ChatGPT for Thought Leaders and Content Creators: Unlocking the Potential of Generative AI for Innovative and Effective Content Creation. His cutting-edge thought leadership was featured in over 650 articles and 550 interviews in Harvard Business Review, Inc. Magazine, USA Today, CBS News, Fox News, Time, Business Insider, Fortune, The New York Times, and elsewhere. His writing was translated into Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Polish, Korean, French, Vietnamese, German, and other languages. His expertise comes from over 20 years of consulting, coaching, and speaking and training for Fortune 500 companies from Aflac to Xerox. It also comes from over 15 years in academia as a behavioral scientist, with 8 years as a lecturer at UNC-Chapel Hill and 7 years as a professor at Ohio State. A proud Ukrainian American, Dr. Gleb lives in Columbus, Ohio.