02/2026
Human Skills in the Age of AI: Why “Humanity” Is Becoming the Most Valuable Currency
The world of work is undergoing a fundamental shift. With the rise of AI 2.0, it’s not just processes that are changing — the entire skill profile required of humans is being redefined. In a recent special edition of Handelsblatt, our CEO Miriam Mertens, together with Dr. Anna Zeis (Director of Learning Innovation at WHU), explores a critical question: What remains as a sustainable source of value creation when AI takes over cognitive routine tasks?
The New Reality: Technical Skills Alone Are No Longer Enough
In the past, entry-level roles served as learning environments for graduates. Today, AI is automating exactly those tasks. The result? Significant pressure on both early-career professionals and experienced specialists alike.
As Miriam Mertens explains in the interview:
“When AI takes over linear, rule-based tasks, the abilities that remain uniquely human are those that enable us to navigate ambiguity, context, and emotion.”
The Renaissance of Human Skills
Success in the age of AI, according to the expert discussion, is defined by a rare combination: technical proficiency paired with deep human capabilities. At DeepSkill, we call these Business-Critical Skills. They include:
- Empathy & adaptive problem-solving: AI can analyze data, but it does not understand context or human emotion.
- Critical thinking & judgment: In a world flooded with AI-generated content, the ability to evaluate information and apply ethical reasoning becomes a core capability.
- Learning agility: We must learn to “unlearn” and relearn faster than the pace of change itself.
The “Permanent Beta” Phase of Careers
One of the most powerful insights from the discussion with WHU is the idea of viewing a career as a product in a permanent beta phase.
Miriam Mertens advises:
“Be aware: your current skills will not be enough to meet the challenges ahead.”
Future success will no longer stem from mastering a single discipline, but from building a flexible portfolio of competencies. We must move away from static résumés and embrace lifelong learning as an active and ongoing part of our daily work.
Conclusion: Tech-Human Fluency as the Goal
The objective of modern talent development cannot be limited to technical mastery of AI tools. What’s needed is “tech-human fluency” — the seamless interplay between technological efficiency and human depth.
👉Read the original article here : (please note: the article is in German and available behind a paywall): https://epaper.handelsblatt.com/epaper/handelsblatt-beilage-01-2026-02-20-epa-2801/detail/?tm=login&page=p106828
