AI tools risk eroding critical workplace skills

At Salesforce's Dreamforce conference, Wharton professor Ethan Mollick argued that over-reliance on AI in the workplace can erode basic skills employees need for long-term growth. He likened AI to an intern—helpful, but prone to mistakes, and warned that when companies offload too much to AI, employees stop building foundational abilities. Mollick says organizations need to be deliberate about what skills to automate—and which to preserve.

• Mollick compared AI's role to an error-prone intern
• AI can outperform inexperienced workers but lacks judgment
• Overreliance can cause loss of core job skills
• Careful choices needed about which skills to keep
• Companies should be deliberate in how AI is integrated