PMI survey finds human skills like empathy and critical thinking remain irreplaceable as AI automates routine work, with 62% of professionals saying human intuition should guide creative decisions.

What happened

Philip Morris International surveyed more than 2,500 business professionals across the U.S., U.K., Italy, South Africa and Brazil and found that human skills are vital and non-replicable in an AI world. The study predicts that over the next three years, creative empathy and adaptability will experience the highest growth in corporate importance.

What to watch

C-suite executives are twice as likely (33%) as entry-level staff (15%) to have advanced proficiency in AI, and seven in 10 survey respondents said they are reinvesting newfound free time into high-value, strategic work rather than letting AI gains erode their roles.