LinkedIn's ‘2026 Skills on the Rise’ list is definitely worth a look. But I'd follow the advice of LinkedIn's Brendan Wong and do so through a slightly different lens.
The more human lens of curiosity.
Do so and you will become a better thinker. And here's why.
Prompt engineering, model training and stakeholder collaboration are the top three skills that emerged in this year's list. But as Brendan mentioned in his video report summary, there's something else going on that underpins all of the skills listed.
Everyone has the same information
Everyone has access to the same information. So what separates you from those who get left behind?
It is not what you know. It is how you think.
And when you learn how to collaborate with your AI, you become a better thinker. You stop using it like an information vending machine and realise its true power — your own super powerful collaborative thinking partner.
“Your blind spots become visible. Your ideas become sharper. Your decisions become clearer. And the work you produce becomes genuinely yours, not just a shortcut.”
Not a soft skill. A competitive edge.
If you use curiosity as part of your way, every skill on the LinkedIn list gets sharper.
That's not a soft skill. That's a competitive edge.
Phil Carey is the author of The Curiosity Advantage — Why better questions create better futures in the age of AI. He is also Creative Director of Cornerstone Media.