Benjamin Todd Identifies 5 AI-Proof Skills for the Next 5 Years

2 articles · Updated · CNBC · May 27

Five skill areas—communication, social skills, judgment, operations and practical AI use—are likely to gain value over the next five years as AI reshapes hiring, Benjamin Todd said.
Todd argues AI will cheapen routine content creation and administrative tasks, making higher-level work more valuable: deciding what to produce, resolving interpersonal issues and choosing what is worth doing.
Human strengths still matter most in messier work, he said, including building trust, reading emotions, coordinating groups and managing projects that stretch over weeks or months.
Practical preparation means using AI tools in real work, learning model strengths and weaknesses, writing clear specs and building checks for errors rather than relying on coding alone.
Todd, founder of career nonprofit 80,000 Hours, framed the advice as a response to another period of labor-market uncertainty, echoing the disruption that followed the Great Recession.

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