Eszter Kovács, who researches cognitive abilities in collaboration with foreign universities, argues that AI does not make people useless — but how we use it matters. She warns that delegating too many cognitive tasks to machines can erode the very skills we want to keep, and that conscious choices are needed to preserve and develop those abilities.
How the labour market is shifting
Kovács notes that change is already visible in the labour market, particularly in entry-level roles. Rather than simply disappearing, many junior positions are being "seniorized": expectations that were formerly typical at managerial level are appearing in entry-level jobs. According to Kovács, AI helps reveal which skills are difficult to replace with automation.
Which skills gain value?
Following the limits of AI, Kovács highlights competencies that will become more valuable: responsible decision-making (including legal, ethical and organizational accountability), analytical thinking, leadership, relationship-building, creative problem-solving and resilience. These skills are hard to automate and also not always straightforward to teach or measure.
What to outsource to AI — and what not to
Kovács gives practical guidance: routine, administrative and monotonous tasks are appropriate to hand over to AI. However, she advises not to outsource the cognitive process itself. If you want to become more creative or a better analytical thinker, you need to work through those tasks yourself. For example, don’t ask AI to assemble your strategic materials or draw conclusions for you; you should engage with those processes. Conversely, use AI for manual, time-consuming searches, organizing sources, data aggregation, or to play devil’s advocate by posing cross-questions to test your finished work. In short: outsource argumentation and labourious data work, not the thinking that trains you.
Conscious AI use and development
Kovács stresses that conscious AI use supports maintaining cognitive abilities only when the tool is used as a development aid rather than as a means to eliminate effort. Human learning and improvement require productive struggle; if that struggle is given up voluntarily, associated skills may weaken. She cites research suggesting that when a task is outsourced to AI and later taken back, people tend to give up more easily and find the task more tedious and difficult.
Mindfulness, meditation and behavioural science as counterbalances
Mindfulness, meditation and behavioural science can serve as measurable counterbalances in the AI era, Kovács says. In university and corporate training they study factors such as brain connectivity and gamma-wave activity in different situations, and how "active" the brain is. These approaches support focus, working memory and metacognition — the ability to observe one’s internal processes — and increase tolerance for discomfort so people willingly choose the harder route when needed. Behavioural science helps translate those insights into practical steps.
Two possible outcomes: growth or decline
Kovács warns that AI can lead to two outcomes. People who use AI to increase challenges and actively develop skills can progress professionally; those who outsource all effort risk cognitive decline and losing outsourced abilities. Therefore, the central question is not whether to use AI, but how and for what purpose.
Where to hear more
Kovács Eszter will speak in more detail about these issues at the Portfolio HR (R)evolution 2026 conference on November 17, where Hungary’s leading HR professionals and corporate leaders will discuss key labour market and HR trends for 2026.
Tags: technology, labour, artificial intelligence, labour market, brain, human resources, psychology, brain research, HR, ai, hrrevolution
