As artificial intelligence (AI) upends the labour market, companies' hiring interview questions are evolving. Job seekers now have to answer not only, "Can you do this job?" but also, "What unique value do you offer that AI cannot?"

On Jan. 10, business outlet CNBC reported that as the AI era arrives, companies' ideal talent profiles and hiring standards are fundamentally changing. Daniela Rus, director of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, stressed that, "Future hiring criteria are not simply about job performance." She added that candidates will have to prove a "plus alpha" value that only humans can create, differentiated from AI.

Productivity gains from adopting AI are also being shown in the numbers. Neel Kashkari, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, said AI is affecting a slowdown in hiring at large companies, but it is clear it is leading to tangible productivity gains. AMD Chief Executive Lisa Su also said companies are not only cutting staff, but are actively recruiting AI-friendly talent to grow their organisations.

Against this backdrop, companies are demanding a new core competency from employees: the ability to use AI. Fiverr CEO Micha Kaufman said AI is a massive trend reshaping every industry, and that it is a company's responsibility to help employees adapt and prepare.

According to a Fiverr report, 40 percent of freelancers already use AI tools for work, saving an average of more than 8 hours a week. It is also significant that people who proactively adopt AI are delivering stronger performance and receiving commensurate compensation.

A McKinsey report also supports the trend. The report said AI could theoretically automate more than half of the U.S. labour market, but it is unlikely to lead directly to mass layoffs. Even if existing jobs shrink or are reshaped, new occupations are likely to emerge centred on "collaboration" between AI and humans.

Some voices warn against unconditional AI adoption. Armando Solar-Lezama, a professor at MIT, cited the case of fintech company Klarna, saying it cut its workforce by 40 percent after introducing AI but then had to hire people again because customer service quality deteriorated. He advised that AI can replace humans, but if organisations overlook the possibility of AI failure, they will pay a higher cost.