AI is not the threat in 2030. The skills gap is.

The AI ​​debate is often characterized by pace, stock market movements and uncertainty. For me, the question is more which skills will actually determine competitiveness in the future?

The diagram I am attaching visualizes this clearly. The horizontal axis shows the proportion of employers who today consider a skill a core competence (2025). The vertical axis shows the proportion of employers who expect this skill to increase in importance towards 2030.

At the top right, where both today's importance and expected growth are high, we find AI and big data. Close by are technological understanding, analytical thinking, creative problem solving, resilience, learning ability and leadership.

The most interesting thing is not the individual points. That's the big picture!

The core competence of the future is not just technical. It is an integration of technology, cognitive strength and relational capacity. The ability to understand systems, ask better questions, interpret data, make decisions under uncertainty and lead people through change.

This picture is also supported by analyzes from, among others, World Economic Forum, McKinsey and OECD: Technological understanding increases in value, but so does analytical judgement, creativity and the ability to continuously learn. This applies on two levels:

Individual level:
We cannot outsource our own development. Understanding how AI affects decision-making processes, balance of power and value creation is becoming basic competence, regardless of role. For me, this means investing systematically in the right skills now, not when the market demands it.

Company level:
AI is not something you "take into use" and be done with. It is a capacity that must be built, through strategy, management, data foundation, structure and management. The gains accrue to those who connect technology with business understanding and execution ability.

Historically, technological shifts have not rewarded those who tested the most, but those who prepared the best. Those who understood what the change meant for the business model, competence needs, organization and decision-making processes - and acted accordingly.

Electrification, digitization and the internet did not create value by themselves. The value arose in businesses that built capacity before the change forced them to do so.

Thus, AI will not automatically provide a competitive advantage. It will reinforce the differences between those who build competence in a structured way and those who postpone it.

That's why I'm looking forward to Monday's meeting at my Exec. Master in Generative AI for Business study. For me, it's about strengthening the theoretical foundation, understanding the frameworks more deeply and linking this even more clearly to strategy and commercial value creation.

At the same time, I now assist companies in AI and digital transformation - at the intersection between strategy, management and implementation. If you would like to discuss how this can be structured in your business, I would be happy to have a chat. The link to my consulting page can be found in the first comment field.