As artificial intelligence becomes a larger part of everyday work, professionals are being urged to focus not only on mastering AI tools but also on cultivating the human abilities that become more critical when technology handles routine tasks. Francisco Tonarely, a Miami-based Business Development Representative in enterprise technology, argues that communication, adaptability, judgment, curiosity, and relationship-building are essential in an AI-supported workplace. He believes AI can expand human capabilities, but professionals must still understand context, evaluate information, and decide when to question AI output.
“The goal should not be to compete with AI at the things it can do faster,” Tonarely said. “The opportunity is to become better at the things that still require context, judgment, communication, and understanding other people.”
Recent research underscores the growing need for these skills. Deloitte’s 2026 Global Human Capital Trends research, conducted with Oxford Economics and based on responses from over 9,000 business and HR leaders across 89 countries, found that 85% of leaders consider developing organizational and workforce adaptability critical. Yet only 7% said their organizations are leading in helping workers continuously grow and adapt.
Tonarely places adaptability near the top of his list because AI is rapidly changing both tools and job expectations. Deloitte’s research illustrates the pace: one-third of workers experienced 15 major changes in the past year, and only 27% said their organizations managed change effectively. For Tonarely, adaptability means being willing to reconsider how work is done when a better approach emerges, but with discipline. “You cannot change direction every time something new gets attention,” he said. “At the same time, you cannot become so attached to the way you have always worked that you stop noticing when there is a better way.”
Curiosity is another skill Tonarely highlights, as AI provides answers quickly but the quality of those answers depends on the questions asked. A curious professional is more likely to probe why an answer makes sense, what information might be missing, and how it applies to the situation. Deloitte’s January 2026 study of 1,394 employees identified curiosity as one of the enduring human capabilities associated with high-performing teams, along with resilience, divergent thinking, and emotional intelligence. “The fact that you can get an answer quickly does not mean you should stop asking questions,” Tonarely said.
Judgment remains crucial, especially when information is incomplete or there is no single correct answer. Deloitte’s research argues that competitive differentiation increasingly relies on human capabilities like adaptability, creativity, and judgment. Organizations taking a technology-focused approach to AI were 1.6 times more likely not to achieve returns exceeding expectations than those taking a human-centered approach. “Good judgment comes from understanding the situation, not just having information,” Tonarely said.
Communication also becomes more important as AI makes producing information easier. Tonarely notes that effective communication depends on understanding the audience. “You can have all the information in the world and still communicate it poorly,” he said. This is especially relevant in enterprise technology sales, where conversations involve varying priorities and technical understanding.
Finally, relationship-building cannot be automated. AI can prepare professionals for meetings, but trust develops through repeated interactions. “Technology can help you prepare, but it cannot make somebody trust you,” Tonarely said. For sales professionals, AI should create more opportunities for meaningful interaction rather than just increasing outreach volume.
Tonarely does not view this as a choice between AI skills and human skills; both are needed. Deloitte found that only 6% of leaders said their organizations were making progress in designing effective human-AI interactions, and 65% believed their culture needed significant change due to AI. Individuals can take responsibility for their development by experimenting with AI while strengthening their judgment, communication, adaptability, and relationships. “The people who do well are not necessarily going to be the ones who resist AI or the ones who depend on it for everything,” Tonarely said. “I think it will be the people who learn how to use it while continuing to develop their own judgment, communication, adaptability, and relationships.”
