GoKawiilEY commits $100 million to bonuses rewarding human judgment over AI skills
Ernst & Young's U.S. arm is spending $100 million this fiscal year on bonuses for employees who demonstrate distinctly human traits like adaptability, judgment and innovation. Payouts range from small $500 awards to as much as $25,000 for major contributions, five times the previous cap, and any employee can nominate a colleague with no upper limit on total rewards. The move comes even as EY's AI-related revenue jumped 30% year-over-year in 2025.
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As AI absorbs routine analytical and technical tasks across professional services, firms like EY, KPMG and PwC are betting that human skills such as critical thinking and empathy will become the real differentiator for employees. This signals a broader shift in how large firms plan to structure talent development and compensation in an AI-heavy workplace, rather than simply automating headcount away.
- EY is investing $100 million in bonuses tied to human skills, not technical output.
- Award caps rose fivefold to $25,000, with peer nomination and no total ceiling.
- The push comes alongside a 30% jump in EY's AI-related revenue, highlighting a deliberate balance between automation and human judgment.
Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman — If firms like EY are now paying bonuses for judgment and critical thinking, Kahneman's classic is the go-to guide on how human decision-making actually works — biases, intuition and all. It's a great read for anyone trying to sharpen exactly the skills AI can't replicate.
See Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: entrepreneur.com — Jon Small, 2026-09-03
Published there as: “Ernst & Young Is Paying Employees $100 Million in Bonuses Just for Being Human”
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