Beyond The Algorithm: How Soft Skills Protect Your Career in The Age of AI
- Jamal Hackett
- Oct 15
- 4 min read
With the expansion of AI permeating workspaces, it is increasingly difficult to show one's economic worth. A new theme has been taking place in major companies in which they try to supplant their human workforce with artificial intelligence. The CEO of software giant Salesforce, Marc Benioff cut 4000 support roles to replace them with AI- and this is not an isolated case. Microsoft also laid off 200 employees who helped develop the AI that replaced them, unbeknownst to them. This has already happened, will continue to happen, and AI will compound at a faster rate. “Meta, Amazon, Alphabet and Microsoft intend to spend as much as $320 billion combined on AI technologies and datacenter buildouts in 2025, that’s up from $230 billion in total capital expenditures in 2024” (Subin, 2025). “In April, Shopify CEO Tobi Lutke said employees will be expected to prove why they “cannot get what they want done using AI” before asking for more headcounts and resources” (Palmer,2025). Andy Jassy, President and CEO of Amazon has told its workforce that generative AI will be able to completely replace portions of the human capital at the company. If you haven’t noticed already, things are changing exponentially. A lot of the jobs and positions that are being replaced by AI now are technical skill-based jobs. This has all been very alarmist, but there is a defense to this, a mitigating factor, although not a panacea. The ability to effectively develop soft skills has been far overlooked, and this is the time that it really needs to be ‘employed’ so to speak.
What exactly are soft skills?
Soft skills are the personal, non-technical abilities needed to interact, communicate, and work with others. These skills are increasingly important as they’re highly transferable and can help you stand out in a competitive, AI-dominant job market. Soft skills can be much more difficult than certain hard skills, unless you wish to become a Neurosurgeon or something of that sort ha-ha. A lot of the time soft skills are harder to progress in because they tie in with behaviors, mindset, and emotions-things people often do unconsciously. Changing habits or communication styles takes self-awareness, discipline, and time! This can really help you propel your career. “Workers with soft skills get promoted faster than those who lack skills such as problem-solving, decision-making and good communication abilities, according to a LinkedIn report” (Crist, 2025).
Here are some of those critical soft skills that will help bolster you to success in this unique time in our history.
Communication Skills
Communication skills are by far the most crucial soft skills to have. Effective communication skills encompass a plethora of subskills such as presentation skills, interview skills, and email writing abilities. Public speaking is one of the most ubiquitous fears in the world, and AI won’t replace that, as people want personability, emotional connection, and physical presence. If these are skills you have mastered, you’ll be hard to replace!
Critical Thinking Skills
Critical thinking skills are the ability to actively and objectively analyze, evaluate, and interpret information to make a well-reasoned decision and to solve problems effectively. Critical thinking skills for many have begun to wane in the height of AI, with many students using AI to prevent themselves from doing any of the hard work themselves, so it’ll be important to build this muscle.
Adaptability
Adaptability is the ability to quickly and effectively adapt to changes in tasks themselves, or the pace at which those tasks need to be done in order to meet the companies' goals and expectations. In today's fast-paced workplace, adaptability also means being comfortable with uncertainty, learning new technologies, and adjusting to different leadership styles or team dynamics. Employees who demonstrate adaptability not only handle change well, but also help guide others through transitions smoothly.
Teamwork
Teamwork is the ability to work effectively with a dynamic range of individuals on a shared goal. Strong teamwork is all-encompassing because it involves so many other people. It requires strong communication with your peers, mutual respect, empathy, and a willingness to collaborate. Within teams, diverse skills, attitudes, and experience make teamwork necessary to not only produce tangible results, but to also work well with one another. Ultimately, teamwork fosters collaboration and building trust for achieving not only long-term success, but relationships as well.
Problem Solving
Problem solving is interwoven with critical thinking skills, but they do have a distinguishable difference. Critical thinking is about how you process information, and problem solving is about what you do with that information after you have analyzed and evaluated things. Problem solving is more action oriented as it focuses on applying solutions and making decisions to overcome challenges effectively.
Cultural Awareness
The last but certainly not least soft skill I'll be emphasizing is cultural awareness. This is the unique ability to recognize, respect, and adapt to differences in values, communication styles, cultural traditions, religions, sexual orientations, and genders. This is especially important since we live in Canada. Toronto is the most multicultural city in all of Canada, with over 250 ethnic groups, 190 languages, and many people identifying as visible minorities. With the preponderance of diversity in Toronto and all of Canada, it is guaranteed you will work with people from many of those groups. While you don’t have to understand the idiosyncrasies of every single group, you do need to show respect and openness to differences. This skill will foster inclusion and better collaboration, making it a critical soft skill to have in this ever-growing diverse work environment.
Conclusion
In the end, the future of work won’t be won by someone who can master the latest technical tools the fastest, but by someone who can bring distinctly human qualities to the table. AI may automate tasks, but it cannot replicate empathy, cultural awareness, creativity, communication skills, adaptability, or the ability to work in a team. These are skills that will separate candidates from the rest. If you want to future-proof your career, sharpen your soft skills – because in a world run by algorithms, your ability to communicate, connect, and think are going to be your true competitive edge.
Link to help improve your soft skills: Skills You Need - Helping You Develop Life Skills
References
Palmer, A. (2025, June 17). Https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/17/ai-amazon-workforce-jassy.html?msockid=15721fb4a2e3667b26bb0acfa3496783. AI Will Shrink Amazon’s Workforce in the Coming Years, CEO Jassy Says.
Wong , Q. (n.d.). Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says he cut 4,000 support roles because of AI. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says he cut 4,000 support roles because of AI
Absolutely loved your content, totally in love with it! 🥰