Why Corporate Executives Should Prioritize AI Upskilling
Executives who neglect their own learning risk falling behind the very technologies they promote.
Industry Insights from the Fortune Global Forum
Sheryl Estrada, senior writer at Fortune covering corporate finance and leadership, highlights the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on corporate jobs.
“Professional services—lawyers, accountants, management consultants like myself—the ones who actually process, analyze, and deal with a lot of data, those are the skills that can be replaced by AI and agentic AI.” – Anne Lim O’Brien, Vice Chair and Partner at Heidrick & Struggles
“AI is moving so fast that we can’t control it. But bottom line—it’s an enhancement to our capabilities rather than a replacement.” – Hisham Radwan, CEO of Cigna Insurance Saudi Arabia
Productivity and Strategic Opportunity
As organizations move from AI hype to practical adoption, productivity improvements are becoming evident. The key challenge is deciding how to utilize the time saved by AI.
Leaders should see AI not only as a tool for efficiency but also as a means to focus on strategic thinking and innovation.
Emphasizing Human Skills
Investing in emotional intelligence remains crucial, as it is widely viewed as one of the core human capabilities that AI cannot fully replicate.
“It’s also an opportunity to double down on skills like emotional intelligence, which is widely considered one of the core human abilities that AI cannot truly replace.” – Anne Lim O’Brien
Author’s summary: Corporate leaders must actively upskill in AI to stay ahead and leverage technology for strategic growth while enhancing irreplaceable human skills like emotional intelligence.