AI is changing which human capabilities matter most at work, yet employees are reporting that some of those same capabilities are being eroded, according to a new IBM study. Critical thinking, judgment and the ability to evaluate AI output sit at the center of that tension.
The IBM Institute for Business Value study, "Designing the Thinking Organization," is based on two surveys conducted with Oxford Economics from April through June 2026. IBM surveyed 1,500 CHROs and senior executives responsible for workforce strategy across 21 geographies and 23 industries, along with 8,800 full-time employees across 28 countries.
The chart below, created by ChatGPT from IBM's data, summarizes the executive-employee differences around critical thinking and AI oversight along with several of the report's other findings. The graphic also includes IBM's findings on skill erosion, CHRO participation in AI strategy, workflow definitions, AI adoption inside HR, and reinvestment of AI productivity gains.
The findings extend beyond HR. More than half of employees surveyed — 52% — said their assigned tasks changed during the past year as AI reshaped day-to-day responsibilities. Yet only 26% of organizati...