When I hear A.I., I’m drawn to the classic nursery rhyme ‘Old MacDonald Had a Farm’ that teaches children the names of animals and their sounds.
Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O
And on that farm had some cows, E-I-E-I-O
With a moo moo here and a moo moo there…
This fun song is a great communication tool to help children grow their motor skills by using their bodies to do actions, it develops their listening proficiencies and makes for excellent speech therapy for little ones having issues grasping words.
When I draw a parallel between AI (artificial intelligence) and EI (emotional intelligence), it’s difficult to ‘process’ (no pun intended) how AI can help worker relationships without the personal connection of eye contact or an empathetic heart.
Until a few months ago, the supposed benefits of AI appeared imaginable. Now we’re using intelligent bots, like BrainBot, to improve our well-being.
The rapid development of AI capabilities is overwhelming. And for many of us, it’s scary. As the world becomes more technologically advanced, the power of AI is not only threatening our knowledge class, it’s destroying meaningful communication.
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is about having the agility to read the emotional and interpersonal needs of a situation and respond accordingly.
Interpersonal communication involves a face-to-face exchange of information, ideas, thoughts and feelings. How can we alternately interact with each other without human connection?
Little by little, we are destroying meaningful communication. Sadly, this technological detachment is today’s reality.
In pursuit of making our lives easier, we are making it harder to develop essential skills, like thinking for ourselves and making our own decisions. It’s these skills that enrich and give meaning to our lives.
Digital connection should never be a substitute for the natural interactions of human beings.
However, it’s a sad reality that we are heading in this direction. Instant messaging platforms are infiltrating our daily lives, where many of us stay behind our screens on and off the job.
The advances in generative AI may improve everything from productivity to brand loyalty, but how can leaders deal with emotions and give real-time feedback during difficult conversations?
Any good leader will tell you leadership is about relationship building – learning and growing from one another. Basic human attributes like intuition, creativity, passion and curiosity that help us succeed in work and in life, should never be left to one person, let alone a machine.
Teams with strong communication skills are better equipped to convey ideas, collaborate and understand each other’s needs.
There are numerous benefits for companies that prioritize effective communication and conflict resolution training for their employees.
To suggest that AI can equip leaders to deal with emotions is inconceivable. Being short on time is not what makes leaders bad at dealing with emotions and difficult conversations – it’s avoidance.
Machines made to look and act like us are an exciting innovation, but we must confront the real possibility that the fundamental aspects of human behaviour will also be rewired. I think it will stunt our emotions and inhibit deep human connections, leaving our relationships even shallower. What do you think?
