AI Era Transforms Skill Requirements, Talent Now Demanded to Master These Abilities

Artificial intelligence (AI) is not only transforming how companies operate but also shifting the skill requirements for the workforce in the digital era. To adapt to these developments, talent is required to possess new skills, one of which is systems thinking. This was stated by Snowflake’s Regional Vice President & Managing Director for Southeast Asia, Satchit Joglekar, in an exclusive interview with KOMPAS.com at The St. Regis Jakarta on Thursday (17/4/2026). Snowflake is a cloud-based data platform that helps companies manage, integrate, and analyse data to prepare it for analytics and AI needs. According to Satchit, systems thinking is important because the talent that will excel in the AI era are those who can understand how various systems interconnect and work together. “AI will become a network of agents working collaboratively. For that, we need people who understand how these systems interact,” said Satchit. He added that to possess systems thinking, one does not need to master programming languages or coding in depth. This is because coding activities can now be assisted by AI. Meanwhile, humans play a role in understanding systems, designing workflows, and ensuring that the results produced by AI meet requirements. In addition to understanding systems, talent is also required to have specific expertise in certain industries or domain knowledge. Satchit exemplified that understanding in fields such as manufacturing, finance, or construction will be a significant added value when combined with AI. “In the future, it’s not just about technology. People who understand the industry will have an edge when they use AI in their daily work,” said Satchit. Regarding concerns that AI will replace jobs, Satchit believes this technology will instead transform the role of the workforce, not replace it. He exemplified that data teams such as analysts and data engineers are still needed, but the focus of their work has now shifted to higher-value tasks.