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- Nestlé CEO Philipp Navratil emphasizes that employees must not only operate AI, but also understand it.
- He explains that AI should fundamentally change the way we work, rather than just optimizing existing processes.
- Executives are discussing which skills are crucial in the era of AI, with judgment being particularly emphasized.
In today’s working world, it is not enough to simply be good at controlling AI with input prompts.
This is according to Nestlé CEO Philippe Navratil , who leads more than 270,000 employees worldwide. Navratil explained that employees still need to understand their business and know how to use AI tools, but they also need to understand AI itself.
This doesn’t mean everyone needs to understand every technical aspect of how it works, Navratil said. However, a more comprehensive understanding of the technology is needed.
“You have to understand what it is capable of, what the trends are, what is happening right now and how AI can change everything in the company,” the CEO of Nestlé, which owns brands such as Nespresso and DiGiorno, explained to George V Magazine.
Too many people view AI merely as another tool, says Navratil, instead of recognizing that it should fundamentally change the way they work. The real opportunity lies in rethinking workflows and processes with AI in mind, rather than simply layering the technology on top of existing habits.
“This is much more important for successfully transforming a company using AI,” said Navratil.
He explained that if employees simply use the tools provided to them without changing their approach, AI could further increase complexity instead of simplifying work.
The potential of AI
To fully leverage the potential of AI, employees need to better understand its impact and rethink how it can streamline processes and eliminate unnecessary work. This could help free up time for data analysis, meetings with business partners, and accelerating business operations, according to Navratil.
His comments come at a time when many executives are reflecting on which skills are most important for employees in this new era. Other leaders, including Coinbase CTO and OpenAI President Greg Brockman, and Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham, have emphasized the importance of skills like good judgment and taste now that AI can increasingly take over more tasks.
“If everyone can make everything, the crucial differentiator is what you choose to make,” Graham wrote on X.
