Human judgement will become increasingly essential as Artificial Intelligence continues to transform the way we live, work and learn.
This is according to a leading global tech strategist who says that rather than making human skills less important, the rapid development of AI is increasing their value.
New York-based author Kate O’Neill will tell attendees at Learnovation 2026 – Ireland’s annual learning summit – today (October 8) that people need to recognise the importance of the human skills we bring to the workplace.
She will also argue that the “existential angst” that people are feeling about being left behind by AI is being hyped up by AI companies, who are trying to sell their products and services.
Speaking at today’s event, she said: “AI does not reduce the need for human skill; it concentrates its value. I’m not saying that there’s nothing to the AI hype. We do need to upskill and pay attention to what’s changing around us or we are going to very quickly feel like we’re living in a foreign land. But that’s true of any change in history. And the existential angst that people are feeling now about being left behind by AI is perhaps a little overwrought. It’s hyped up by a lot of the AI companies that want you to pay into their models.
“We need to start with humans, not tech. We need to use AI to augment existing relationships and not to dictate strategy. You can have all the greatest tech in the world but we have to be the ones to decide how to use it and use the tools as leaders and not be led by them.”
Known internationally as the “Tech Humanist”, Kate O’Neill is speaking in Ireland for the first time. The keynote speaker at Learnovation 2026, Kate is the founder and CEO of strategic advisory firm KO Insights and author of six books. She has worked with a range of companies and institutions including Google, Microsoft, IBM, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, the UN, Yale, Harvard and Cambridge.
Learnovation is Ireland’s annual learning summit and is taking place at the Aviva Stadium today. ‘Human Skills That Power the AI World’ is the theme of this year’s Learnovation summit, which is organised by The Learnovate Centre, based at Trinity College Dublin.
Kate says we need to understand the value that humans bring to the workplace and know how that will evolve and shift and fit into a reimagined future.
“We need to really know what our human skills are: judgement, contextual awareness, emotional intelligence and all of those kinds of things. But we also need to know how that interacts with the AI tools and systems that are increasingly part of the infrastructure of work. Having that two-part understanding, I think, is really critical to navigating these next moments of the future well.
“We do have a place in the future and human judgement will be the key skill needed. We need to feel stronger about our own decision-making and judgement and not be swayed by how fast and confident AI can seem. We will never be as confident as AI – even when it is wrong – as it is manufactured, but we should have confidence in our own lived experience. This human judgement is also what will allow us to be able to see through the cheap, AI slop which has become so pervasive around us.”
She added that while certain tasks are more automatable than others, it doesn’t necessarily remove other components to jobs that do rely on human skill and judgement.
“Even if it is a number crunching task, you still need the human to assess the AI’s output. There are human components around communication, storytelling, context and judgement needed. This aspect isn’t understood by a lot of managers who are making very short-term decisions, cutting jobs to rely more on AI and then realising the mistake they’ve made. There is a lot of chaos in the short-term but there is a place for us in the future. Don’t give up or lose heart, instead double down on the skills and learning you have and be adaptable, resilient and ready.”
Nessa McEniff, Managing Director of The Learnovate Centre says:
“Kate’s message goes right to the heart of what we will be exploring at Learnovation 2026. The conversation about AI can quickly become a conversation about what technology can replace but there are equally important questions about what becomes more valuable as technology advances.
“Human judgement, creativity, critical thinking, communication and adaptability will be central to how successfully people and organisations navigate this change. Learnovation 2026 is about understanding how we develop those skills alongside our ability to use new technologies.”
Learnovation 2026 will bring together leaders from education, industry, research and innovation at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin today to examine the future of learning and work in an increasingly AI-powered world.