Introduction: What Skills Will Matter Most?
In my previous article, I discussed whether knowledge is losing its value in the age of AI.
This time, I’d like to focus on three important skills that we should develop to thrive in this new era. These are:
- Thinking Skills
- Language skills
- Communication skills
Let’s take a closer look at each one.
1. Thinking Skills
In today’s world, developing thinking skills—including critical, logical, and analytical thinking—is essential to make the most of AI.
Imagine you notice something in your work that isn’t an obvious problem but could become one in the long term. Recognizing that and deciding, “Let’s fix this now, before it becomes a real issue,” is a uniquely human ability.
It’s people who first identify the problem—AI comes in afterward to help solve it.
If a person has no ideas or questions to begin with, they’ll struggle to make effective use of AI. You might say, “Let’s use AI!” but if you don’t know what for, you won’t get anywhere. That’s like having a treasure you don’t know how to use.
To truly benefit from AI, we need strong thinking skills.
2. Language Skills
AI operates primarily through language.
If you want AI to help solve a problem, you first need to explain that problem clearly.
And that requires language skills.
Even when you’re trying to learn something new, if your question isn’t specific enough, AI won’t be able to give you a meaningful answer. For example, asking “How can I improve my grades?” might only get you a generic response like, “Consistency is key!”
As a side note, some students simply say things like, “Teacher, give me a worksheet.”
But unless they specify which subject, which worksheet, I have to ask follow-up questions.
By having conversations like this, we’re actually helping students build their questioning and language abilities.
3. Communication Skills
AI can clearly reduce the time we spend on routine tasks.
So what should we do with the extra time it creates?
In my opinion, we should use it to strengthen communication.
Let me share a personal experience.
As a teacher at a cram school, I’ve already started using AI in my daily work. I’ve noticed a clear shift in how I spend my time. Creating teaching materials with ChatGPT has saved me a great deal of time. Writing emails to parents, which I used to type manually, is now much faster thanks to new methods I’ve developed with AI support. I’ve cut that time in half.
As a result, I’ve been able to spend significantly more time communicating with students.
I’m no longer overwhelmed by administrative tasks, which gives me more mental space. I’ve become more aware of the issues students are facing, and I’m able to offer better emotional support.
Final Thoughts: Why These Three Skills Matter More Than Ever
Thinking skills, language skills, and communication skills—these are the three abilities we need to strengthen in the age of AI.
Of course, these have always been important.
But going forward, I believe the gap between those who excel in these areas and those who don’t will only grow wider. The ability to use AI effectively will depend heavily on having these three core skills.
In future articles, I plan to share practical ways to develop each of these abilities.
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