Why we shouldn’t lose emotional intelligence in all the noise surrounding artificial intelligence.
Since the launch of Chat GPT last year, it’s hard to escape the chat around AI. Networking events telling us how to use it, linked in articles telling us why we must be embracing it, recruiters being warned of CVS written by Chat GPT, decision makers being told we need to invest in new technology to keep up – it’s endless and, let’s be honest, to many people, confusing and a bit scary!
So, should we be rushing to embrace AI?
Whilst there is no doubt that AI is here to stay and will likely revolutionise our lives in the same way as the internet did, it’s crucial not to rush ahead before we see what it can really do – especially in the world of HR&D.
Culture and engagement are still high on the priority list for most organisations who are looking to attain and sustain high performance. The only way we can really reengineer work to meet the changing demands of our people is to really connect to their needs and expectations and figure out how we create new deal that helps them thrive. In this it must be all about people, so our emotional intelligence as HR or in our leaders and as a business is crucial.
It’s great to be curious about AI, but let’s make sure it doesn’t distract effort on the fundamentals of great culture. We are not saying avoid it, but probably just encouraging you not to rush to implement technology you don’t understand, especially while it continues to develop at such a pace! If you’ve ever shouted at a chatbot (we all have!!) because it isn’t helping and you just want to speak to someone, you’ll understand how some less developed tech can make us feel and why careful application and protection of emotional intelligence is so important. Our conversations with HR and Tech leaders like have brought us to the same conclusions, AI at this point is probably more about creating efficiency and automation of manual and cumbersome processes. We know technology can positively impact our working lives and automation done well can free up managers to focus more on building relationships and improving engagement with their people, but it must be done right. We’ve got to do the thinking and scoping to avoid poor implementation or using the wrong tools, as this can become very distracting and time consuming to work with, so it’s key to research, understand, plan, communicate and implement properly.
If not communicated well, the introduction of AI may cause your workforce to feel threatened rather than perceiving any benefits, leading to a fall in engagement, retention, and performance.
For colleagues who are nervous about AI, demystifying it will help. Show them how to use Chat GPT, improve fluency levels of AI tools and help them develop skills to use it. Encourage them to experiment, without feeling they have to be an expert straight away. They are key to maximising the potential of AI will be to take colleagues with us, and that needs EI!
We asked Chat GPT for thoughts on AI and EI and it said: “Artificial intelligence and emotional intelligence are both invaluable in the workplace, but they possess distinct qualities that are essential for organizational effectiveness”. Makes sense to us!
Ultimately AI is growing fast and always evolving. Used in the right way, it can already be beneficial, but it is also developing technology and still has glitches and requires a huge amount of human input to work effectively to be effectively implemented.
It’s crucial to be curious and explore how it might work for you, but don’t get too hung up on rushing ahead and worry about missing out! For now, having an inclusive culture that encourages people to do their best work and builds a strong employer brand is still hugely important and as AI develops, and you become more familiar with it, you will recognise when the time is right to use it.