Forbes: potential matters in AI

Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic wrote in Forbes on August 4 that artificial intelligence is changing what organizations should look for in leaders because expertise is becoming easier to access and replicate. He said the competitive edge is moving toward qualities machines do not easily match, including judgment, curiosity, resilience, adaptability and the ability to mobilize other people. A separate Forbes Coaches Council article published August 5 made a related case for reflection, arguing that it underpins judgment and may become a leader’s main advantage as AI spreads through daily work. (forbes.com) The two pieces do not report a new policy or hiring standard. (forbes.com) They do show a common argument taking shape in management commentary: if AI lowers the premium on stored expertise, employers may put more weight on how people learn, decide and lead under uncertainty. Fortune framed a similar issue on August 4, writing that AI agents may act like teammates but still require human direction. ### Why is “potential” getting more attention than expertise? Chamorro-Premuzic wrote that AI is “commoditizing” knowledge and expertise, which makes selection based mainly on past performance a riskier bet. His argument is that organizations have long rewarded credentials, tenure and demonstrated expertise, but those signals may matter less when AI tools can supply analysis, recall and technical assistance at low cost and high speed. (forbes.com) Forbes described the traits that remain harder to automate as judgment, curiosity, resilience, adaptability and leadership potential. In that framing, potential is not a vague personality label; it is a way of identifying who can keep learning, adjust to new conditions and make decisions when the environment changes faster than résumés do. (forbes.com) ### What does reflection have to do with leadership? The Forbes Coaches Council article published August 5 said reflection may be leadership’s greatest advantage in the AI age because it is tied to judgment. The piece said reflection helps professionals deal with difficult and divergent situations of practice, making it central rather than peripheral to strong leadership. (forbes.com) That argument shifts attention from speed alone to the quality of thinking behind decisions. If AI can generate options quickly, the human task becomes evaluating trade-offs, interpreting context and deciding what should happen next. The article presents reflection as the discipline that supports that process. (forbes.com) ### Does this mean expertise no longer matters? Chamorro-Premuzic has argued elsewhere in Forbes that expertise still matters in the AI age, even if its role is changing. In an April 2025 article, he wrote that knowledge remains important but must now be paired with the ability to use it well amid automation and rapid change. (forbes.com) That leaves the current debate less about replacing expertise than reweighting it. The emerging claim is that organizations may rely less on expertise as a scarce asset and more on judgment as the filter for using AI-generated output responsibly and effectively. (forbes.com) ### What could change in hiring and assessment? Neither Forbes article announced a formal hiring framework. Both point toward a practical shift in what employers may try to assess: learning agility, decision quality, ethical reasoning, adaptability and the ability to lead other people through ambiguity. (forbes.com) Fortune’s August 4 item pushed the same question into management practice, saying companies are teaching employees how to use AI more than how to lead it. That suggests the next round of leadership development may focus less on tool fluency alone and more on supervision, prioritization and accountability. (forbes.com) ### Where does this leave companies now? Forbes published Chamorro-Premuzic’s article on August 4 and the reflection piece on August 5, putting the argument into circulation as companies continue integrating AI into routine work. Forbes also published a related July 29 Coaches Council article asking what leaders are for if AI does more of the work, with the answer centered on interpersonal and organizational judgment. (forbes.com) The next evidence to watch is not another opinion essay but how employers rewrite job descriptions, leadership models and assessment processes over the coming quarters. Any concrete shift would most likely appear first in hiring criteria, promotion standards and leadership-development programs at large employers and consulting firms. (forbes.com) (fortune.com)