EY Global Vice Chair: AI’s biggest paradox comes down to what AI can’t do

I've spent two decades inside a professional services firm where human judgment is foundational to the business model. Clients come to EY not just for analysis, but for the experience, insight, and perspective needed to navigate uncertainty and make better decisions.

That is exactly the skill AI is now forcing into every job, whether the title on the door says analyst, technician, or machine operator. The paradox of the AI era is that the more capable the technology becomes, the more the market rewards the other things. Sought-after skills are intrinsically human—it all comes down to what AI can't do.

While investments in AI rise, companies are still missing out on up to 40% of AI productivity gains due to gaps in talent investment. Many training programs focus on technical AI experience, skipping over critical skills that will determine whether an AI strategy pays off.

Technology thrives at repetitive tasks and surfacing data. But humans are responsible for defining the goal, setting the purpose and providing the context that gives information meaning. People decide which objectives are worth pursuing, recognize when context changes and remain accountable for the results. Without that human direction, data and insights may not be applied effectively or generate their full potential value.

This reframes what an AI-orchestrated workplace looks like. It doesn't remove the person, but instead the parts of the job that never required human judgment in the first place. What remains is the part only a human can do.

To take full advantage of an AI-enabled world, AI fluency has to become more than a specialty skill – blending the operation of AI tools with evaluation of outputs for relevance and knowing how (and when) to intervene when things go wrong.

Machine identities outnumber human employees 82:1 inside the average organization. Scale like that doesn't dilute human responsibility. It concentrates it. As AI systems become more autonomous, human judgment becomes even more important.

Analytical thinking is the most desirable core skill employers search for in potential hires, according to a survey by the World Economic Forum , with roughly seven in ten employers calling it essential.

Leaders want an employee who avoids blind delegation and knows how to challenge AI when it matters.

The bottom line: use AI to make your job more efficient, not to take over the judgment decisions that continue to be the most important part of the job.