AI Adoption Threatened as Critical Thinking Skills Erode Among Employees

A recent IBM report has found that AI could be eroding human skills deemed vital by CHROs, particularly critical thinking. According to the study, published on September 23, 2026, 3 out of 4 employees believe that AI is affecting their ability to think critically and use human judgment.

The findings may spell trouble for AI adoption, as 80% of CHROs surveyed said they believe that AI creates 'invisible' work for employees in the form of tasks such as validating recommendations and fixing errors. Nearly half of employee respondents agreed that AI added to their workloads, but significantly fewer said that managing the tech's outputs would be an important skill in the future.

IBM's report also identified strategies employers could use to help early-career talent build essential skills, including rotations, supervised decision-making, coaching, and earlier customer exposure. The company recommended building judgment and accountability directly into workflows, citing a study that found 62% of CHROs reported increased employee confidence in AI-enabled decisions when judgment was integrated.

Nickle LaMoreaux, senior VP and CHRO at IBM, emphasized the importance of uniquely human capabilities in an AI-enabled environment: 'As AI takes on more routine and process-driven tasks, uniquely human capabilities become even more important.'