Nestlé's CEO says this is the most important skill for workers in the AI era

In today's workforce, getting good at prompting AI isn't enough.That's according to Nestlé CEO Philipp Navratil who oversees more than 270,000 employees worldwide. Navratil said workers still need to understand their business and how to use AI tools, but they also need to understand AI itself.That doesn't mean everyone needs to understand every technical aspect of how it operates, Navratil said. However, you might need a bigger-picture understanding of the technology. "You need to understand what is it is capable of, what the trends are, what is happening, how AI can change anything at the company," the CEO of Nestlé, which owns brands like Nespresso and DiGiorno, told Business Insider.Too many people treat AI as just another tool, Navratil said, instead of recognizing that it should fundamentally change how they work. The real opportunity is rethinking workflows and processes around AI, rather than simply layering the technology on top of existing habits."That's much more important in the sense of being successful in transforming a company using AI," Navratil said.He said if employees simply use the tools they're given without changing their approach, AI may add more layers of complexity instead of making work simpler.To unlock its potential, workers need to better understand AI's implications and rethink how it can streamline processes, eliminate unnecessary work. This can help free up time to analyze data, meet with business partners, and make the business move faster, Navratil said.His comments come at a time when many leaders are considering the most critical skills for workers in this new era. Other leaders, including the CTO of Coinbase, OpenAI's president Greg Brockman, and Y Combinator cofounder Paul Graham have emphasized the importance of skills like good judgment and taste now that AI can take on more tasks. "When anyone can make anything, the big differentiator is what you choose to make," Graham wrote on X. Read next Ana writes about workplace trends, careers, and how AI is reshaping software engineering roles. She also regularly interviews C-suite executives about their trajectories and leadership insights.Ana is the host of "Get Better at Work," a series that offers advice about the habits and behaviors that can help workers stand out and build their careers. She also hosts "Work Shift," which breaks down the biggest workplace news of the week. She holds a master’s degree in multimedia journalism from NYU and has been featured on BBC, NPR, and other global media platforms.Have a tip? You can contact her via email at aaltchek@businessinsider.com or through the secure-messaging app Signal at aalt.19. AI