Survey: Most workers feel that AI can't replace soft skills

A new survey from Wiley suggests workers do not feel artificial intelligence (AI) will be replacing the art of communication in the workplace.

The vast majority—80%—of respondents in the latest Wiley Workplace Intelligence survey say soft skills are more important than ever with the evolution of AI. That's according to the newly released report "Taking the Person Out of Interpersonal: Why AI Can Never Replace Soft Skills."

And even though AI could make it easy to draft a quick email to handle a sticky situation or settle conflicts in the office, respondents are not interested in taking advantage. In fact, 84% say they prefer to have difficult conversations face-to-face rather than using AI.

"AI can make our jobs easier by automating mundane, time-consuming tasks, but it can't replace the important interpersonal connections that help make our jobs meaningful," said Dr. Mark Scullard, senior director of product innovation at Wiley. "Employees appear to understand that dealing with each other on a personal basis is important to creating productive workplaces, strong teams, and positive cultures."

In terms of the future of work, with the impact of technology growing, respondents ranked communication (34%) and leadership (23%) skills as the ones that will be most needed in the workplace, followed by adaptability (12%). These are skills that AI bots likely cannot replace.

The data in this report are based on surveys completed by 2,014 individuals in North America. Respondents work in a variety of roles across a range of industries.