It seems like every day there is a magazine article or news report detailing how AI is leading to layoffs across many industries. Powerful algorithms are able to collapse knowledge work projects down from weeks to days or even hours. Pretty soon, it seems like there will be no reason to hire an actual human ever again. Is that truely our fate?

A recent article in the New York Times may provide a hopeful answer for workers. Journalist Noah Scheiber explored what roles AI is taking over versus the ones that humans still do better. One key finding from his research is that people are still indispensable for is the one thing that most people try to avoid: meetings!

As A.I. makes the production of knowledge work more and more efficient, the job of presenting, debating, lobbying, arm-twisting, reassuring or just plain selling the work appears to be rising in importance. And the need for those sometimes messy human tasks may limit the number of people A.I. displaces.

Scheiber argues that human interaction is vital, as customers still prefer talking to people over machines. In fact, being able to make friends with clients and develop relationships remains invaluable. Scheiber shares the following:

Other management consultants also underscored the growing value of social skills. Consultants at Accenture often use A.I. to help make slides for presentations, a manager there said, but the ones who excel have absorbed the preferences of clients over many hours of meetings. They know how the target of persuasion likes to consume information. Is he or she a metrics-driven person? Does the client like case studies or personal anecdotes?

The article contains several insightful interviews with professionals adapting to the new environment. If you want to read more, please be aware that this article is behind the New York Times paywall. The good news is that setting up a free account will get you access to it. However, your local public library, such as the Palm Beach County Library System, may subscribe to the New York Times online, for which you only need a valid library card number. Check out your local library’s website to learn more.