HP report urges integration of human skills in AI-driven education reform

As 82 per cent of students fear AI weakens deep learning

HP Futures 2026 report has called on policymakers to keep literacy, numeracy and identity-forming learning at the core of education, while using creative, hands-on approaches to deliver fundamentals and durable skills simultaneously.

The report also called on policymakers worldwide to develop clear blueprints to help students build the durable skills that will be essential in workplaces of the future, and to ensure that these are not treated as secondary or extracurricular.

This follows findings from a new global survey of over 6,000 students, led by HP, the Global Learning Council, and the Education Leaders Forum, which also convened 58 education, policymaking and future of work leaders to examine how education systems can equip young people for the future of work.

The report found that over eight in 10, representing 82 per cent of the students worry that while Artificial Intelligence (AI) helps them work faster, these technologies are not learning material as deeply.

The report stated that when students want to retain material, they still reach for analogue methods such as printing or handwriting notes.

According to the report, nearly half of the student respondents, representing 49 per cent, choose a method involving print or handwriting, while fewer than one in five students, representing for 18 per cent, choose AI summaries as their preferred method.

Despite worries over the risk of cognitive atrophy, the report stated that students are optimistic about their future in an AI-driven world.

The report further revealed that nearly two-thirds, representing 61 per cent of students believe AI will create more career opportunities than it will take away.

The survey also found 80 per cent of students are confident they can use AI effectively, while 81 per cent believe their education is preparing them for work.

The survey also revealed that students believe creativity and critical thinking are the most important skills for the future job market.

Students put these durable human skills above technical ones, with creativity and critical thinking topping the list at 56 per cent, communication and collaboration at 52 per cent, coming ahead of AI and digital literacy which stood at 44 per cent, while technical or coding skills ranked only eighth at 29 per cent.

Commenting on the report, the Chief Commercial Officer at HP and Chair of HP Futures, David McQuarrie, said educators, policymakers and employers share a responsibility to prepare young people for the opportunities and challenges they will encounter throughout their lives and careers.

He said as artificial intelligence rapidly transforms how people learn and work, that responsibility has never been more important.

McQuarrie stated that the education systems must do more to help students develop, demonstrate and continuously strengthen the capabilities that will remain valuable regardless of how technology evolves.

Director & Global Head, Education Business and Strategy at HP, Mayank Dhingra, said the report gives a unique snapshot of the global student perspective on what young people today think about the skills they need to own, and the impact AI is having on their thinking, lives and their job prospects.

“Most strikingly, these students warned that while they feel AI-confident and AI is helping them to work faster, they are concerned that they are not learning material as deeply. It is vital that student voices are prominent in the conversation as education systems make decisions around the future of curricula and assessment models,” Dhingra stated.

The report argued that durable skills must become a core part of education systems rather than an optional addition to them.

Alongside new approaches to assessment, it called for greater support for educators, who remain central to helping students develop the creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration skills that employers increasingly value.

Drawing on insights from more than 6,000 students and 58 global education and future of work leaders, the report outlined practical recommendations for policymakers, educators and employers to help prepare young people for an AI-enabled future.