McKinsey chief executive Bob Sternfels says AI is forcing large employers to rethink what human skills actually matter as artificial intelligence systems scale across the economy.
In a new interview with angel investor Jason Calacanis at CES, Sternfels says McKinsey dived deep to explore the potential traits that employers look for in an AI-infused world.
According to Sternfels, the firm came up with a set of uniquely human abilities that AI can never touch.
“What can the models not do? Aspire, set the right aspiration. Do you go to low Earth orbit? Do you go to the moon? Do you go to Mars? That’s a uniquely human capability. So how do you look for the skills of aspiring and getting others to believe in the aspiration?”
On top of aspiration, Sternfels says judgment is another key trait, noting that while AI systems can evaluate outcomes, they cannot determine what is right or wrong without humans defining the boundaries.
“There’s no right and wrong in these models, and so how do you set the right parameters, the architecture, based on firm values, based on societal norms, whatever, how do you build the skills to set what the right parameters are?”
Sternfels says the third pillar is true creativity, which he contrasted with how today’s AI systems operate.
“The models are inference models. The next most likely step is how do you think about orthogonal stuff?”
Taken together, Sternfels says these limits of AI are already pushing companies to challenge long-standing assumptions about where talent comes from. As machines absorb more routine cognitive work, traditional credentials lose importance.
“It actually means that where you went to school matters a lot less. So, do you start looking for raw intrinsics? Can you widen the base? Let’s take a tech background. Not which university you graduated from, but what does your GitHub profile look like? Let’s actually get to the content.”
He says the shift could open the workforce to a wider set of people entering through nontraditional pathways, especially as employers focus on demonstrated ability rather than pedigree.
Sternfels closes by highlighting one human trait he believes is increasingly scarce and increasingly critical as AI reshapes work.
“I think there’s a massive gap in resilience. You’re going to get knocked down. The question is, do you get back up? And how do you get back up? And I think the educational system today doesn’t necessarily build institutional or individual capability in resilience.”
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