The Most AI-Ready Skill Isn’t a Skill at All

As employers race to determine which AI skills their teams will need next, Brittany Murrey, Executive Vice President of Talent Solutions at Per Scholas, says they may be asking the wrong question.

In a new Forbes article, “The Most AI-Ready Skill Isn’t Really a Skill at All. It’s a Learning Mindset,” Murrey argues that in a workplace where technology is changing faster than job descriptions can keep up, the most valuable capability may be the ability to keep learning.

The challenge for employers is clear: The tools and technical skills that matter today may look very different tomorrow. Building a talent strategy around a specific technology can mean constantly chasing an ever-moving target.

Adaptability is the new competitive advantage.

Murrey makes the case that employers should look beyond what candidates already know and pay closer attention to how they respond when they don’t know something. Can they seek feedback? Learn quickly? Reassess their approach when something isn’t working? Navigate unfamiliar problems without becoming stuck?

These are behaviors Per Scholas sees firsthand through its intensive, fast-paced training model. Learners are continually asked to absorb new information, respond to feedback, and work through challenges, offering valuable insight into the behaviors that help people thrive when the pace of change is high.

But hiring for a learning mindset is only part of the equation. Murrey also argues that organizations need to create environments where learning can actually thrive: where asking questions is encouraged, leaders model continuous learning, and employees have opportunities to build new capabilities as their work evolves.

The bottom line: In an AI-driven economy, organizations may not be able to predict every skill they’ll need next. But they can build teams capable of learning whatever comes next.

Read Brittany Murrey’s full perspective in Forbes: The Most AI-Ready Skill Isn’t Really a Skill at All. It’s a Learning Mindset