How Can a Learning Mindset Help You Adapt to AI and Technology Changes in 2026?

What Makes Human Competencies Essential When Working Alongside Artificial Intelligence?

Discover how cultivating a learning mindset helps individuals and organizations thrive alongside AI technology. Expert insights on combining human competencies like curiosity, empathy, and critical thinking with technological advancement to stay competitive and adaptable in rapidly changing workplaces.

Want to transform how your team adapts to AI-driven change? Dive into these research-backed strategies that show exactly how human competencies can complement technology—and why your unique skills matter more than ever in an automated world.

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Embracing a “learning mindset” — an openness to continuous learning and adaptability — is critical for individuals, companies and governments in the modern era, urges consultant Katja Schipperheijn. She dispels myths about diminishing learning capacity and highlights the importance of a growth mindset throughout life. Schipperheijn believes firms must transform into “LearnScapes,” where visionary leaders, or “LearnScapers,” combine human competencies such as curiosity, empathy, and critical thinking with advancing AI.

Take-Aways

• Adopt a learning and growth mindset to leverage new technologies.
• The rapid rate of innovations is outpacing expectations and governance.
• Engaged citizens maintain a learning mindset.
• Unique competencies distinguish individuals in the workplace.
• A learning mindset transforms your organizational growth and culture.
• Optimize team efficiency through strategic communication and social learning.
• Challenge the status quo.
• Cultivate a culture of trust, respect, and communication.
• As a “LearnScaper” leader, build an ecosystem that encourages creativity and human-AI interactions.

Summary

Adopt a learning and growth mindset to leverage new technologies.

Artificial intelligence (AI) presents an adaptation challenge for people, companies, and governments. Embrace a learning mindset — the belief in your ability to learn anything — to transform challenges into learning opportunities.

“Anyone who still believes that the impact of technological innovations will not dramatically affect our world is living under a rock! Only people with a learning mindset will survive and thrive in this ever-faster-changing world.”

Learning encompasses personal, cultural, social, and experiential influences, meaning the wrong environment can stifle your drive to learn. Surrounding yourself with encouraging and positive influences alleviates the negative emotions that impede learning. Emotions such as curiosity and joy enhance focus and retention, while stress and anxiety can harm learning efficacy; so, seek to manage your emotions to optimize your learning potential.

Differentiate between training — which follows a structured, time-bound path — and learning: an exploratory adventure that curiosity fuels. Unconscious learning, through pattern recognition and observation, for example, is often an underutilized skill. Cultivating this skill boosts your adaptability and creativity.

Contrary to the misconception that learning ability wanes after age 25, mental complexity and motivation can increase with age, along with your capacity for growth. Place your and your teams’ focus on developing a growth mindset and using cognitive abilities to enrich personal and collaborative learning experiences.

The rapid rate of innovations is outpacing expectations and governance.

Neural networks that mimic human brain functions drive artificial intelligence (AI) applications. These networks, like human learning, adapt through experiences and feedback and employ “reinforcement learning” — learning by trial and error or experience — to enhance performance. AI systems leverage parallel processing — similar to human multitasking — and use unsupervised learning to manage and interpret vast, unstructured data.

“Neural networks, or computational models… mimic the function and structure of biological neurons.”

As AI evolves and intertwines with human activities, people must enforce human-centric values and push for bias-free algorithms. Navigate AI’s ethical landscape by ensuring accountability, transparency, and security in AI applications to foster trust and uphold fundamental human rights.

The evolving legal environment presents challenges in creating frameworks for AI use, chiefly regarding safeguarding privacy and maintaining ethical standards. Governmental protections — such as Europe’s General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) or the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA) — emphasize digital safety but do not boost underdeveloped AI ethical guidelines. AI must enhance human well-being, which requires a socially responsible approach from organizations at the forefront of innovation. Clear principles, explainability, honesty, and accountability mitigate potential abuses of AI technology. This ensures AI remains a beneficial tool while addressing the balance between human responsibilities and technological advancements.

Engaged citizens maintain a learning mindset.

The World Economic Forum reports that a substantial portion of jobs could evolve within the next five years due to large language models (LLMs) and AI-driven automation. To remain relevant in rapidly changing fields, workers must shift from a single-skill focus — “T-profile” — to a multi-skilled approach — “M-profile” — to augment foundational knowledge with diverse expertise. Curiosity and self-directed learning will drive career advancement. In this context, educational institutions must spark curiosity and enable skills that translate to various domains rather than limiting students to rigid career paths.

“With a learning mindset, you will be an inspiration to others because everything starts with you. So, you not only have a responsibility for yourself, but also to your environment.”

Learning extends beyond formal education, encompassing settings such as digital worlds where informal skills flourish. In gaming communities such as Roblox and Fortnite, children develop cognitive, social, and problem-solving skills that prepare them for current and future challenges. These experiences underscore the value of diverse learning environments for cultivating creativity and resilience. Experimenting with new technologies and embracing a growth mindset helps combat impostor syndrome, which hinders personal growth by fostering self-doubt.

Unique competencies distinguish individuals in the workplace.

In a world of AI digital advancements, skills alone may lose relevance as AI processes replace them. Competencies such as curiosity, critical thinking, and empathy will become more vital to the job market as they blend knowledge, attitudes, and personal traits that AI cannot fully replicate yet, if ever. These aptitudes foster creative inspiration, facilitate relationship-building, and enable workers to adapt to new circumstances. Such competencies complement a learning mindset, encouraging resilience and a positive outlook regarding challenges and innovation.

“Only humans have the ability to build relationships, to understand and respond to situations and feelings of others.”

“Consilience” involves discovering connections between disparate data, fostering creativity, and integrating diverse perspectives. This interdisciplinary approach blends insights from various fields, thus enriching understanding and enhancing problem-solving. Consilience leverages the innate human qualities of imagination and social conscience to inspire novel solutions and drive progress.

A learning mindset promotes adaptability, open-mindedness, and continuous improvement; consilience breaks down disciplinary barriers to enhance comprehension. Together, consilience and a learning mindset enable collaborative learning and comprehensive understanding.

A learning mindset transforms your organizational growth and culture.

As you commit to continuous learning, you inspire others and shift team dynamics toward innovation. Your actions create a positive ripple effect, enhancing the collective learning culture and contributing to broader societal improvement. Sharing knowledge and promoting open communication fosters an environment where everyone feels valued and motivated to contribute. In this environment, collaboration thrives, leading to increased organizational growth and employee engagement.

“In a world where LLMs seem to outshine us in verbal skills, it is more urgent than ever to focus on what makes us unique as human beings.”

Adopting the role of a learning influencer involves more than setting an example; it entails actively encouraging a culture of trust and feedback. By focusing on acquiring knowledge and how you relate to others, you, as a learning influencer, encourage teams to embrace innovation and adapt to change efficiently.

Embrace your inner rebel and others who think divergently. Incorporating diverse perspectives and challenging the status quo can unlock creative potential within teams. Rebels and unconventional thinkers, when given space to express their ideas, drive significant organizational change and innovation. These people thrive in environments that value continuous improvement and diversity of thought. Harness the power of diverse talents and competencies by implementing initiatives such as in-company hackathons and encouraging open dialogue. This integration of varied perspectives leads to a dynamic and adaptable workforce that is ready to tackle future challenges collaboratively.

Optimize team efficiency through strategic communication and social learning.

To prevent frustration, avoid overwhelming your teams with excessive communication and redundant information. Channels such as emails, meetings, and messaging groups can easily cause information overload. Improve team dynamics and foster a learning culture by establishing clear communication practices. Feedback and mentoring, for example, should be relevant and align with individual needs, thus reducing wasted time and enhancing overall efficiency.

“If you and your team want not just to survive but to thrive, then it is inevitable that AI will become an integral part of the team.”

Rapidly changing environments demand efficient time management and identifying team member expertise. Use assessments and intelligent systems to recognize skill sets and confidence levels to enable workers to connect with suitable projects and challenges.

A supportive environment helps team members build trust and learn from one another, enhancing cohesion. Nielsen’s “1-9-90 rule,” which states that 90% of social media members lurk and learn, 9% contribute occasionally, and 1% account for most posts, illustrates different participation levels and can help you engage team members by designing interactions and resources that tap into the natural behaviors of each group. Promote a seamless information flow by bridging departmental knowledge gaps. Incorporate AI technology to complement human skills, enhance efficiency, and drive successful teamwork toward common goals.

Challenge the status quo.

To help your team members approach challenges as opportunities for innovation, emphasize learning as a collaborative process. Empower and grant autonomy, building a culture that inspires your people to embrace a learning mindset.

“Leaders who have been stagnant in the past and employees who think they don’t need to adapt to it will soon find themselves at an irreversible disadvantage.”

Balance innovation with effective team management. Guide your teams through information overload by offering clarity and direction. Leadership in this context requires crafting teams with diverse skills and expertise that become adept at navigating ambiguity and adapting to project-based roles. By creating an inspiring workplace culture, you promote autonomy and support, which prove essential for thriving in uncertain times.

Influential learning leaders combine inspiration, authenticity, empathy, and communication to forge strong team dynamics. By embracing authenticity and celebrating diversity, you foster trust and creativity. Empathy connects you with your team members, creating safe spaces for growth and shared learning experiences. Translate your vision into actionable strategies to ensure clarity amid change. Bold decision-making, which requires imagination and collaborative insight, empowers you to navigate rapid technological changes, ensuring that your teams remain adaptable and competitive. Encourage ownership of and learning from mistakes. An environment in which people feel comfortable making mistakes encourages continuous improvement, which reinforces a learning culture.

Cultivate a culture of trust, respect, and communication.

Trust fuels collaboration and innovation. Establish clear goals and embrace open dialogue to foster trust and empower your team members to contribute their ideas and take ownership of their roles. Leaders who vest in self-awareness and communication inspire team members to leverage their diverse perspectives to find creative solutions.

“Without trust, you cannot learn. There is no growth. There is no transformation.”

View problems as opportunities and encourage an experimental mindset. Employ strategic frameworks such as, for example, design thinking and scenario planning to develop innovative solutions that address immediate and future challenges. Promoting a learning mindset helps teams anticipate issues before they arise, which drives a holistic approach to innovation.

As a “LearnScaper” leader, build an ecosystem that encourages creativity and human-AI interactions.

To foster learning and development, upskill and retrain your employees. Visionary leaders, or LearnScapers, design learning ecosystems that draw on curiosity, imagination, and empathy to build a culture of continuous growth and adaptation to technological innovations.

“When you think about your next step, you have started one of the most essential aspects to strengthen your learning mindset.”

LearnScapers prioritize the integration of humans and machines. Apply your exceptional communication and bridge-building skills to ensure adequate information flow within your organization while nurturing employees’ personal growth and adaptation.

About the Author

Katja Schipperheijn is an internationally recognized author, speaker, and consultant.