AWS CEO: Critical thinking and creative vision beats technical skills in AI era

Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman is advising workers—including his own teenager—to prioritize critical thinking skills over technical expertise to succeed in the AI era. Rather than pursuing machine learning degrees or highly technical training, Garman emphasizes that soft skills like creativity, adaptability, and critical thinking will become the most valuable assets as AI tools handle more routine tasks.

What you should know: Garman believes critical thinking will be the most important skill for future success, regardless of academic specialization.

• “I think part of going to college is building [your] critical thinking,” Garman told CNBC’s “Closing Bell.” “It’s less about the development of skills and it really is [about] how do you become a critical thinker? In some ways, I think that’s actually going to be the most important skill going forward.”
• He specifically advised his own child, a rising high school senior, to develop critical thinking abilities in college no matter what subject they study.

Why this matters: As AI tools increasingly replicate administrative tasks and technical skills, human workers will need to differentiate themselves through uniquely human capabilities.

• Amazon and multiple other companies have announced plans to reduce corporate workforces while adopting more AI tools and agents.
• Research shows AI cannot match human intellect when it comes to critical thinking and creativity for generating new ideas and making nuanced judgments.

The essential soft skills: Garman highlighted three key areas where humans maintain advantages over AI systems.

• Critical thinking and creativity: Workers will need to curate and refine AI output, making strategic decisions about which ideas have value.
• Adaptability: The ability to learn new technologies and smoothly integrate AI-based tools into workflows.
• Communication: Humans excel at picking up social cues, exhibiting empathy and emotional intelligence, and providing personalized attention that customers still prefer.

What they’re saying: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reinforced the importance of human oversight in AI workflows during a Howard University event in January 2024.

• “AI can generate lots of great ideas, but you still need a human there to say, ‘This is the thing other people want,'” Altman explained.
• Garman noted that despite AI’s administrative capabilities, “most customers still want to talk to a person” and receive personal insights from human beings.

How to develop these skills: Workers can improve critical thinking through various methods and educational resources.

• Students can hone critical thinking across any area of study, while current workers can develop these skills through daily habits like playing strategic board games and asking more questions.
• Harvard University and edX offer a free online course focused on improving critical thinking and communication skills.
• LinkedIn career expert Andrew McCaskill recommends showcasing these abilities by highlighting examples of difficult problems solved at work and asking thoughtful questions that demonstrate curiosity.

The big picture: As AI adoption accelerates across industries, recruiters are specifically targeting candidates with adaptability skills to keep pace with technological changes, according to LinkedIn data from February 2024.