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AI inspired many employers to take a wait-and-see approach to hiring in 2025, but new data suggest theyll be returning to the market in search of certain skills in 2026. According to Upworks In-Demand Skills 2026 report, demand for AI-specific proficiencies have more than doubled on the freelancer platform over the last year. But at the same time, nearly half of employers also say theyre also putting a premium on human skills, like creativity, emotional intelligence, resilience and innovation. When we look at the fastest growing skills in terms of demand, AI is all over it. Thats not surprising, says Dr. Gabby Burlacu, licensed organizational psychologist and Upworks senior research manager. However: What is interesting is that this is not growing demand for AI generalists, or even necessarily people who can build AI tools, but rather its growing demand for AI applied within a context. In 2026, more employers want to inject AI into more business operations, and are seeking candidates that are not only able to utilize the technology, but also maximize its impact by leveraging their human skills and unique experience. Integrating, Not Building According to the Upwork study, demand for skills tied to AI is up 109% year-over-year. Skills related to AI video and content creation saw the biggest jump with a 329% increase, followed by AI integration (which helps inject the technology into existing business practices) at 178%. AI data annotation, which specializes in preparing and training content for the purpose of AI model training, ranked third with 154% demand growth. At the same time, the study found that employers are looking for what are traditionally labelled as soft skills or human skills, which are increasingly viewed as vital enablers of new tech tools. We are seeing enormous demand and recognition from business leaders of just how important nontechnical and uniquely human skill sets are, says Dr. Burlacu. They want human judgment, they want creativity, they want innovation, and when we asked business leaders what skills are becoming critical in an AI world, the ability to build or even engage with AI tools wasn’t at the top of that list; it was learning agility and adaptability. The study, and others like it, suggest AI isnt replacing human workers on a wide scale as initially feared. Instead, its changing the kinds of skills employers are looking for, putting a higher premium on traits that cant be automated. A Labor Market Bounce-back in 2026? Dr. Burlacu explains that each time a new disruptive AI tool or category of tools hits the market, employers tend to pull back on hiring in that domain as they figure out what exactly the technology is capable of, and where it falls short. This [research] suggests that the impact of AI is taking shape, and that it is much more about augmenting how existing domains and roles are done, versus completely replacing the need for human skills, says Dr. Burlacu. There’s a tremendous opportunity to use AI to do the work that you do and that you specialize in [today] differently. That is what business leaders are seeking. Dr. Burlacu adds that as employers gain a deeper understanding of how AI will impact their business, theyre gradually moving off the sidelines and pursuing the skills they need to best utilize the new technology. Towards an AI-Enabled Human Workforce The Upwork study is consistent with a recent McKinsey report titled Agents, robots, and us: Skill partnerships in the age of AI, which suggests the future of work will be defined by harnessing the best of both technology and humans. In that study, researchers examined 7,000 commonly sought-after skills from real job postings across industries and organized them based on those that could be fully automated today, those that will likely never be automated, and those that fell somewhere in between. They ultimately found roughly 70% of skills can be enhanced by technology, but still rely on human expertise. Another 12% remain entirely within the domain of humans while just 18% can be fully handed over to technology. The implication is that it’s going to be a world in which we upgrade that skill by using it in conjunction with AI, says the studys co-author and McKinsey Global Institute Partner Anu Madgavkar. If we can use AI as an assistant or a collaborator or a co-worker, then our own ability to use that skill and deploy it will be enhanced. Madgavkar explains that in our AI-enabled future, workers wont need the deep technical expertise required to build their own AI tools. Instead, they will be challenged to utilize the technology to enhance their own capabilities. People’s roles are going to change quite a lot and very fast, and you can imagine theres a degree of anxiety or uncertainty about that, says Madgavkar. It’s not just about adoption; it is indeed about reimagining how work gets done, not just at the level of an individual’s job or set of tasks, but really as a whole workflow. The Transition is Already Underway Whether it was the ability to use word processors, social media or cloud computing, candidates have long been encouraged to list proficiency with the hottest technology of the day on their resumes. What’s new is the pace and the level of acceleration, explains Aashna Kircher, the group general manager of CHRO products at Workday. The evolution of some of these tools is happening at a pace weve never seen, where every day there are new skills, new learnings, new understandings of what is and isnt possible. Fortunately, AI is itself making that education more attainable. According to a Workdays Elevating Human Potential: The AI Skills Revolution report, 83% of employees globally say AI has enhanced their ability to learn new skills. As the ability to leverage AI to work more efficiently becomes table stakes, Kircher says workers and candidates are quickly becoming valued for the things they can offer that the technology cant. You need to apply context, values, nuanced to AI outputs and systems, as well as ethical decision making, emotional intelligence, relationship building and connection conflict resolution, leadership skills, she says. It’s not that technical skills aren’t important. They certainly are, but some of these other skills are actually becoming outsized in importance relative to some of the technology skills.
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E-Commerce
A viral X post from late last year pitted images depicting two hustle-culture lifestyles side by side: tech bro hoodie and Notes app icon on one side, a business suit and a copy of Cal Newports Deep Work on the other side. Left guy will most likely beat the right guy, it concluded. Guy on the left makes more money but guy on the right is happier, one user commented. Whether its grind mode, routine maxxing or some other high-octane sleep when youre dead approach to work, the right specific approach within that umbrella is unclear. Its the question plaguing young founders and Silicon Valley types. Maybe some aim to lock in, grind away from 9 to 9 six days per week, fueled by White Monster, a laptop and a dream. Or perhaps the more effective rise-and-grind technique is to stick to some version of Patrick Batemans morning routine from American Psycho. Alarm at 3:55 a.m. Ice bath. Affirmations. Lift some weights. Supplements. Ready to stare at a three-monitor setup for the next eight hours straight, interrupted only by a wearable tracker reminding you to hit your ten thousand steps. One founder suggested the best combination is actually both. There’s gonna be weeks where you have specific deadlines that you just have to grind it out, and you’re not getting good sleep, and you’re not really taking maybe the best health approach to your work routine, explains Gannon Breslin, CEO of snowballapp.ai, in a recent TikTok post. He calls this pure grind mode. Its a case of simply getting done what needs to get done, however you can get it done. This grind mentality is increasingly common among a new generation of Silicon Valley upstarts. In fact, many job listings for AI startups leave no confusion about their expectations from potential applicants. “Please don’t join if you’re not excited about working ~70 hrs/week in person with some of the most ambitious people in NYC,” read the description for a role at Rilla, a New York-based tech business. Nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week, Elon Musk once said. The key, according to Breslin, is to balance this out when your business is in homeostasis. This is prime time to optimize. That’s when you’re really caring about your sleep pattern, making sure you have everything dialed in, he says in the clip. This is when workers might reestablish a sense of routine wake up early, focus on their nutrition thats been neglected while living and breathing the 996 lifestyle, and reduce any inefficiencies (or health problems) that emerged while in grind mode. And so it’s kind of this, like oscillating pattern between what state your company and business is in, Breslin concludes. If this all seems unsustainable, thats because it is. Burnout amongst workers is already at an all-time high. A 2025 report from online marketplace Care.com found, while companies believed 45% of their workers were at risk of burnout, in fact 69% of employees said they were actually at moderate to high risk. Luckily, theres also a secret third thing. Its called having a life.
Category:
E-Commerce
If youve been dreaming of adding a mid-sized SUV to your cart alongside a bulk pack of granola bars and a new air fryerwell, were not quite there yet. But that day is getting closer: Amazon has officially rolled out its car-buying program. But before you prepare your driveway to make room for a two-ton Prime delivery, you should know that buying a car on Amazon isnt exactly like buying a Kindle. Heres the lowdown on how it works, who its for, and why you definitely cant return a Hyundai to Whole Foods. Whats for sale Right now, your options are limited. The main partner for new vehicles is Hyundai. If youre in the market for a Santa Fe, a Tucson, or an Ioniq, youre in luck. But if youre looking for a brand new Toyota or Ford, youre still gonna have to do things the old-fashioned way for now. For used cars, the selections a bit wider. Amazons opened the doors to certified pre-owned inventory from other brands and even some fleet vehicles. How it actually works Amazons essentially built a very slick, very familiar skin over the traditional dealership inventory system. Heres the process: Search: You go to the Amazon Autos section and filter by model, trim, color, and your zip code. Inventory: Youre looking at real cars sitting on real local dealer lots. Purchasing: This is the cool part. You can see the actual price, run a credit check, apply for financing, and put down a deposit directly through Amazon. No sitting in a glass office for three hours while a salesperson repeatedly “checks with the manager.” Handover: Once the digital paperworks done, you schedule a pickup or delivery. Returns: If your dealership participates in Hyundais Shopper Assurance program, youll have three days or up to 300 miles to decide if you want to keep the car or not. You can check if your dealership participates here. The catch(es) This isnt “Prime” Delivery. Dont expect a navy-blue van to drop off your Elantra. Youre actually buying this car from a local dealership, not Amazon. Amazons just the matchmaker. Youll either drive to the dealership to pick it up or, if youre lucky, the dealer will drive it to you. The closest one to me only offers pickup and the car wouldnt be ready for a few days. And the paperwork isnt 100% digital yet. Depending on your states laws, you might still have to sign a “wet” signature (real ink, real paper) when you take possession of the car. Were living in the future, but the DMVs still living in the 20th century. You might not have a ton of dealerships participating in your area, either. Where I live, near Boston, the closest dealership is 17 miles away which, given the absolutely atrocious traffic around here during normal business hours, might as well be on the other side of the planet. The bottom line Is this the revolution we were promised? Yes and no. If you hate negotiating and want to see transparent pricing without leaving your couch, buying a car through Amazon is a massive upgrade. It forces dealers to display real prices and cuts out the haggling. However, if you were hoping to bypass the dealership model entirely, were not there yet. Youre still buying from a dealer; youre just using Amazon as a buffer to keep the sales pressure at bay. For now, its a pretty good way to buy a Hyundai without spending your entire Saturday at the dealership.
Category:
E-Commerce
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