Hybrid Intelligence: Competencies in the Age of AI Discussed at Technoprom-2026

© HSE University

Artificial intelligence is not creating new professions, but rather transforming the nature of existing ones. This was the conclusion reached by participants in the panel session ‘Hybrid Intelligence: Digital and Human Drivers of Development,’ organised by the Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (ISSEK) at HSE University as part of the 13th International Forum of Technological Development (Technoprom-2026). The experts discussed how the nature of work is changing, which skills are becoming increasingly sought after, and what prevents companies from fully capitalising on new technologies.

According to research by HSE ISSEK, organisations are using AI across all major business processes. These technologies are most widely used in marketing and sales, with 47% of large companies using AI to optimise operations in this area. 

At the same time, the growing demand for AI skills has not yet been matched by a comparable increase in their use. According to Avito, the number of job vacancies requiring such skills has risen by 86 percentage points. However, a 2025 Rosstat survey of employees found that only 4.9% need AI skills to perform their jobs. One-third of respondents reported having these skills but said they did not need to use them to complete work-related tasks.

'AI technologies are cross-cutting, and the new occupations associated with their use are cross-cutting as well. AI is spreading unevenly across industries, creating the impression that an occupation newly introduced to a particular sector is unique. These factors should be taken into account when developing and updating Federal State Educational Standards and educational programmes,' said Irina Perova, Leading Researcher at the Centre for the Development of Professional Qualifications at the Research Institute of Labour of the Russian Ministry of Labour.

Other participants in the discussion, including representatives of Sber, Gazprom Neft Corporate University, InfoWatch, and Avito Podrabotka, agreed that the main limitations lie not so much in the development of the technologies themselves as in the need to rethink skills, educational pathways, and management practices.

Lidia Lebedeva

Lidia Lebedeva, Deputy Director of the Future Skills and Talent Centre at HSE ISSEK, presented a preview of the Navigator of Promising Competencies in the Context of Digitalisation—a database currently being developed as part of the strategic project ‘National Centre of Science, Technology, and Socio-Economic Foresight.’ She noted that in the age of AI, meta-competencies are becoming increasingly important for both managers and employees.

'The main barrier to optimising AI-driven processes remains the human factor: if employees do not understand why a process is being optimised, they are likely to resist change for as long as possible. This is why meta-competencies are becoming increasingly important—in particular, ethical interaction in the digital environment and intercultural literacy. These competencies enable us to work effectively with teams made up of different generations and draw on their diverse experience,' said Lidia Lebedeva.

The session participants shared real-world examples of how workflows are being transformed. Gazprom Neft has developed specialised corporate master’s programmes and established partnerships with universities. Sber highlighted the importance of a strong educational foundation and transferable skills, including critical thinking, particularly as some tasks traditionally assigned to entry-level specialists are already being performed with the help of AI. 

Among the barriers to the widespread adoption of AI solutions, the panellists identified security concerns, costs, and the quality of integration.

'Used correctly, AI can increase the productivity of early-career specialists by 40%. For experienced developers, however, the effect can be negative because of the time required to formulate tasks and monitor the results,' said Alexander Tsvetkov, Senior Technical Product Manager for Data Protection at InfoWatch Group. 

Daria Badaeva, Advisor to the Head of AI Services at Avito Podrabotka (a service for finding side jobs), presented a successful example of scaling AI in customer-facing processes at the company. Last year, it began using AI to make calls to potential applicants, reducing costs threefold compared to a traditional call centre. Users who interacted with AI assistants were twice as likely to find a side job as those who did not use such assistants. 

Speaking about the key barriers to productive synergy between human and digital resources, Badaeva stressed that it is not the technology but the quality of its integration, including the preparation of documentation and knowledge bases and the risk of model hallucinations.

Andrey Selskiy

Summing up the discussion, session moderator Andrey Selskiy, Director of the Future Skills and Talent Centre at HSE ISSEK, emphasised that the impact of technology adoption can vary considerably: AI can significantly boost the productivity of early-career specialists while simultaneously reducing the effectiveness of experienced professionals; it can speed up task completion while also increasing the error rate.

'In all the cases presented, from industry to digital platforms, ultimate responsibility and decision-making authority remain with humans. Therefore, the key deficit lies not in the technology itself, but in management and communication skills, as well as the ability to build trust and foster ethical interaction in hybrid teams,' said Prof. Selskiy.

Thus, the development of artificial intelligence is transforming not only individual work processes but also requirements for skills, work organisation, and teamwork. The Navigator of Promising Competencies in the Context of Digitalisation presented by HSE ISSEK helps systematise these changes and provides a framework for considering human capital development in the context of technological transformation.