Speaking in an interview with CNBC-TV18, Abbosh said recent market jitters triggered by the launch of advanced AI tools—such as Anthropic’s new plugins—underscore a deeper anxiety about how quickly AI is reshaping industries and job roles.
“The investment community is nervous because people don’t really know how AI will play out,” Abbosh said, noting that the disruption is not limited to technology alone. “It’s happened in advertising, professional services, information services, edtech and media. What we do know is that it will be profound, it will have far-reaching consequences, and it will take many years to play out.”
AI and the shrinking half-life of skills
Abbosh said the most immediate impact of AI is being felt in the declining “half-life” of skills—the length of time before a skill becomes outdated.
“If you were a lawyer yesterday doing contract reviews, and an AI plugin can now do contract reviews, that matters,” he said. “Humans need to keep developing their skills because the half-life of skills is declining.”
In this environment, Abbosh argued, the most valuable capability is not a specific technical skill but the ability to continuously learn and adapt.
“Learning is the skill,” he said. “Focusing on how to learn to learn is the best way for people to progress in their lives.”
CEOs as chief education officers
Abbosh said the responsibility for preparing workers for an AI-driven future cannot rest solely with employees. Corporate leadership, he argued, must take ownership of workforce education.
“I’m running around telling my CEO colleagues that CEOs need to be chief education officers—or at least chief learning and development officers—because there is no positive future AI scenario without human development,” he said.
According to Abbosh, deploying AI at scale requires a combination of domain expertise, technical capability and human learning.
“To deploy AI, you need domain skills like underwriting in insurance, tech skills like security and data, AI skills like data science, and human learning,” he said. “Without that, companies can’t actually bring these amazing technologies on board and create more value.”
AI will augment, not replace, professions
Abbosh pushed back against fears of mass job destruction, arguing that AI is more likely to reshape roles than eliminate them outright.
“If you’re a management accountant today, tomorrow you’ll be a management accountant using AI,” he said. “If you’re a radiographer today, tomorrow you’ll be a radiographer using AI.”
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The challenge, he said, lies in ensuring workers are equipped to work alongside these technologies rather than be displaced by them.
“As AI continues to advance, the winners will be those who keep learning,” Abbosh said. “That’s the only sustainable advantage in a world where technology keeps changing.”
Watch accompanying video for entire conversation.
