As accessing information and producing a first draft become easier, the role of human capabilities at work is changing. Understanding a problem correctly, distinguishing causes, evaluating options, and making decisions suited to the context become more important. An organization's competitiveness depends on access to tools and on how well it preserves this quality of thinking.
BCG's 2026 research points to a tension. The capabilities leaders consider most important for long-term performance are among those most at risk of erosion because of AI. Judgment and decision-making, understanding and framing problems, creative thinking, analysis and causal reasoning, and generating and evaluating solutions are central to this group.
I don't think the risk is confined to one employee losing a skill. When hundreds of people routinely leave the first step of thinking to AI, the organization's collective judgment can also weaken. Workflow design needs to account for where people will make a deliberate thinking effort. Sometimes AI can generate options first. Sometimes a person can form an independent view first, and sometimes the two results can be evaluated together.
Capability development can move beyond the training catalog and into everyday work. An inventory of capabilities for strategic roles can identify levels of problem framing, judgment, creativity, and causal analysis. The next step is to examine where AI reduces cognitive effort in the workflow and what this might mean over time.
Working on real cases and receiving feedback reveals gaps in capabilities. Making room for independent thinking, comparison, challenge, and peer review in everyday work lets employees keep exercising these skills. Efforts to develop AI literacy can also be considered alongside people's capacities to think, build relationships, remain curious, and take responsibility.
Ask yourself
- Which thinking steps is our use of AI invisibly eliminating?
- In which critical decisions should employees first form their own views?
- How can we embed capability development in everyday work?
