LinkedIn CEO identifies five human skills AI cannot replace
LinkedIn's CEO outlines five core capabilities—curiosity, courage, creativity, common sense, and character—that young workers must develop to remain competitive as artificial intelligence transforms the workplace.
1:23 PM
The future of work is being shaped now, with artificial intelligence reshaping job markets and workforce demands, according to LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky. In a new analysis, Roslansky and Aneesh Raman identified five human capabilities that remain irreplaceable by AI technology, urging young people to prioritize their development.
To identify these capabilities, LinkedIn consulted neuroscientists, organizational psychologists, behavioral economists, and talent leaders. The resulting framework, called the 5Cs, focuses on core inputs that individuals can develop and that enable broader professional success.
The five capabilities are curiosity, courage, creativity, common sense, and character. Curiosity, according to the analysis, allows humans to decide which possibilities matter and to ask unconventional questions. While AI can generate possibilities based on patterns, humans determine which directions warrant exploration and can pursue entirely different approaches.
The identification of these skills comes as the job market faces significant disruption from AI adoption. Recent college graduates have struggled to secure entry-level positions amid economic uncertainty and tightening hiring practices by employers integrating AI systems. Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky recently advised college students to focus on developing durable skills, including problem-solving, leadership, critical thinking, and clear communication.
The disruption extends across sectors. In the U.S. tech industry alone, nearly 10,000 employees lost jobs during the week of July 9, with some having contributed to building the AI systems that displaced them. Amazon CEO Andrew Jassy acknowledged this trend in a March memo to employees, stating that generative AI and agents would change how work is performed and reduce the company's total corporate workforce through efficiency gains.
Business education has traditionally emphasized skills now performed more efficiently by machines. Data analysis, process optimization, and strategic planning—capabilities that once distinguished MBA graduates—are increasingly executed more effectively by AI systems. This shift has challenged long-standing assumptions about what drives professional success.
At the same time, entrepreneurship is accelerating globally. LinkedIn's Work Change Report, analyzing data from over 18 million small and medium-sized enterprises worldwide, found that the number of professionals adding "founder" to their profiles grew 60 percent between July 2024 and July 2025, doubling compared to 2022 across ten analyzed markets. One in five professionals globally expressed interest in working independently in the near future. In Italy specifically, nearly 40 percent of small business employees indicated intent to pursue self-employment.
The report identifies artificial intelligence as a primary driver transforming work, ambitions, and growth models. As technology evolves rapidly and attention becomes harder to capture, trust emerges as a competitive advantage. Roslansky and Raman emphasize that the uniquely human skills—those rarely measured in traditional assessments—are what make workers irreplaceable in an AI-driven economy.