Skill Erosion Is A Real Problem You Can't Ignore

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 TODAY’S THOUGHTS ☠️

Hey there 👋,

The news, my social feeds and every industry conference is full of so much talk about AI it makes me wonder if we’ve forgotten anything else of interest.

Nearly all the conversations are focused on making $$$’s with AI or some weird form of automating your life.

What I hardly see, and of course what I find far more interesting, is the impact of AI on work and life. A particular point of interest is how AI continues to challenge, threaten and reshape skill building.

While many clickbait headlines obsess over brain rot, I see something different happening in the workplace

So, today, we’re exploring Why Skill Erosion is a Real Problem That None of Us Can Ignore.

Get your tea or beverage of choice ready, 🍵.

We've got lots to discuss!

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 IN THIS DROP 📔

• The great erosion of skills has arrived

• Designing human solutions for human problems

• This tiny NotebookLM feature was better than I thought

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 THE BIG THOUGHT 👀

Why Skill Erosion is a Real Problem That None of Us Can Ignore

I kinda think of this post as a sequel to my analysis on “The Hidden Impact of AI on Your Skills”.

Somehow, it’s been a year since I hit publish on that one.

Isn’t it funny how time works? I remember so clearly spending months researching and putting all the pieces together to look deeper into the real impact of AI on skills so far, and now, here I am talking about it like some sort of ancient text.

My reminiscing aside…

The message of that piece was to think deeply about the over-reliance we will easily slip into with AI, and how easy it will be to convince ourselves we’re learning how to do something, when in reality, AI is doing it for us.

A year later, I only see more activity, which has amplified both.

That’s not to say there are not those who are rejecting total delegation to AI and those finding the balance between artificial and human intelligence.

We’ll talk about some of those later.

Consequences

It’s such a serious sounding word, isn't it?

Like something your parents would say to you.

Our choices can lead to consequences in many forms, that’s the risk we all take, and not to keep sounding like some old stoic, but life is essentially all about risk.

Back in October last year, when I spoke about AI over-reliance and the illusion of expertise, I only covered in small detail what the consequences of those choices could mean.

A year later, it’s clear to me that’s skill erosion.

The Great Erosion of Skills

Do you remember just after the pandemic, when every headline was something like “The Great ‘x’ of blah blah?”

I’m happy to make a contribution to that movement 😂.

Jokes aside, you might be noticing some people’s skillsets are eroding through lack of use, and some aren’t even learning the skills at all. This is being driven by the change in the tasks we now deliver.

As AI gets better and better at completing a wide variety of tasks, it means we (as humans) do less in certain areas.

That is not always a bad thing.

Cognitive offloading of some tasks can amplify our ability to perform better in the workplace. A good example of this is GPS. Before we had GPS in our lives to guide us to destinations, we’d spend hours pouring over gigantic maps with tiny text, trying to figure out the best route.

Now, at the touch of a button, we’re guided without having to activate one brain cell.

There’s another side to this coin, though.

Humans, for the most part, want to take the path of least resistance and favour instant gratification over the challenge (I’m no different here).

The problem is that real learning and thus improved performance are about navigating the challenges. It’s really hard to learn how, what and why if you don’t experience the struggle.

AI doesn’t take this away all on its own, how we use AI does.

In our quest for “more time”, “creative freedom”, “improved efficiency” and every other statement that tech CEOs blurt out about AI, we’ve become obsessed with the automation of everything.

This creates the consequences I’m talking about.

What we lose and what we gain

I always remember an old colleague saying, “You can have it all, you just can’t have it at the same time”.

While it was in relation to something else, I can’t help but think it fits well in this conversation.

I’ve found life to be a series of trade-offs.

If you say yes to one thing, you’re saying no to something else. It sounds like easy math (and it is), but it’s by no means a simple equation.

I’m not the first to consider the impact of AI in this way.

The folks at Gartner have been covering this as they look towards what is putting future workforces at risk.

Here’s an excerpt to ponder:

We have skills eroding through lack of practice and application, and it seems, the quick expiring of skill creation with future generations entering the workforce.

Harold Joche put it nicely when he said, “One key factor in understanding how we learn and develop skills is that experience cannot be automated”.

So, what can be done?

Are we doomed to roam the world skill-less and watch AI-powered tools suck the life out of the world itself? Of course not, there is a way, my fellow human hacker.

Strategies and tactics to prevent skill erosion

So, instead of moaning about the great wave of skill erosion, I’d rather focus on doing something about it.

The good news is there's a lot we can all do.

If you haven’t already, you can find a ton of my guidance in these articles:

1. The Hidden impact of AI on your skills

2. How to stop AI from hijacking your thinking?

Saves me repeating myself like a broken record here.

Plus, the folks at Gartner offer some basic but useful actions for the workforce:

• Watch for AI mistakes and rising error costs, and keep manual checks in place where AI is used most.

• Retain your senior staff and encourage peer learning to slow skill loss.

• Focus on roles at risk and review your talent strategies regularly to keep key skills strong.

• Pair AI with human oversight and maintain manual checks as a backup for AI.

• Encourage employees to continue exercising core skills (e.g., analysis, coding, problem-solving) even when AI tools are available — through simulations, rotations and shadowing.

• Use AI simulations and adaptive training, but make sure people still learn from each other.

My question to you: What would you add?

Final thoughts

There’s much more to ponder on this.

Like with everything in this space, whether it happens or not is down to your individual choices and intentions. So, if you want to craft a career for the long haul, make smarter choices when it comes to your skills.

→ If you’ve found this helpful, please consider sharing it wherever you hang out online, tag me in and share your thoughts.

 👀 ICYMI (In case you missed it!)

1. How do we design human solutions to human problems in the age of AI? So much to reflect on in this report on the rise of “Generation Numb”. It’s cool to chase AI, yet we can’t ignore the very human experiences around us.

2. How have L&D teams provided value in 2025? The ever important yet terrifying question CEOs utter around this time of year. Here are some thoughts on how to drive business value for the remainder of 2025 and beyond.

3. Three ways L&D teams can meaningfully use AI to deliver real impact. I know this is a title with huge promise, yet we are in the game of attention. I was lucky enough to join the Speak To The Human podcast from the team at Acteon to discuss my thoughts on delivering actual value with AI across L&D - enjoy 😉

 VIDEO THOUGHTS 💾

I Didn’t Expect NotebookLM Mind Maps to Be This Useful

NotebookLM provides a powerful way to explore and connect your ideas.

One of the most exciting features is Mind Maps, which automatically visualises your sources, ideas, and connections clearly.

In this video, I’ll show you how to generate and use mind maps in NotebookLM to break down complex topics, uncover hidden connections, and dive directly into the exact sources behind each idea.

Enjoy, and don’t forget to check out the ever-growing NotebookLM tutorial series on my YouTube channel.

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