The Value of Human Experience in the Age of AI

I'm knee deep this week putting the finishing touches on my new Udemy course on "AI for People Managers: Lead with confidence in an AI-enabled workplace". After working with hundreds of managers cautiously navigating AI integration, here's what I've learned: the future belongs to leaders who can thoughtfully blend AI capabilities with genuine human wisdom, connection, and compassion. Your people don't need you to be the AI expert in the room; they need you to be authentic, caring, and completely committed to their success. No technology can replicate that. And no technology SHOULD. The managers who are absolutely thriving aren't necessarily the most tech-savvy ones. They're the leaders who understand how to use AI strategically to amplify their existing strengths while keeping clear boundaries around what must stay authentically human: building trust, navigating emotions, making tough ethical calls, having meaningful conversations, and inspiring people to bring their best work. Here's the most important takeaway: as AI handles more routine tasks, your human leadership skills become MORE valuable, not less. The economic value of emotional intelligence, empathy, and relationship building skyrockets when machines take over the mundane stuff. Here are 7 principles for leading humans in an AI-enabled world: 1. Use AI to create more space for real human connection, not to avoid it 2. Don't let AI handle sensitive emotions, ethical decisions, or trust-building moments 3. Be transparent about your AI experiments while emphasizing that human judgment (that's you, my friend) drives your decisions 4. Help your people develop uniquely human skills that complement rather than compete with technology. (Let me know how I can help. This is my jam.) 5. Own your strategic decisions completely. Don't hide behind AI recommendations when things get tough 6. Build psychological safety so people feel supported through technological change, not threatened by it 7. Remember your core job hasn't changed. You're still in charge of helping people do their best work and grow in their careers AI is just a powerful new tool to help you do that job better, and to help your people do theirs better. Make sure it's the REAL you showing up as the leader you are. #AI #coaching #managers

“AI is going to take our jobs.” I hear that line a lot. Especially here on LinkedIn. And I’ve been attacked more times than I can count for disagreeing. But here’s my take: AI isn’t going to take our jobs. It’s going to flood the world with knowledge. So much knowledge, in fact, that knowledge itself will become a commodity—cheap, infinite, and nearly worthless. The value won’t be in what you know. It’ll be in what you do with it. How you interpret. How you connect. How you create trust, emotion, and meaning. Let me give you some context. We’ve been through massive upheavals before. The Agricultural Age lasted for centuries. Then came the Industrial Age and displaced many people. My grandfather worked in it as a coal miner in 1930s Marion Heights PA. That job fed his family. But it also cost him his life. The Information Age followed. He wouldn’t have made that transition. But millions did—and millions of new roles emerged. Now we’re entering the Intelligence Age. AI will replace repetitive jobs. But it will also create entirely new ones: AI Orchestrators Narrative Designers Ethics & Policy Strategists Human Advocates Relationship Builders And here’s the shift most people aren’t ready for: When AI gives you knowledge instantly, the questions you ask will matter more than what you know. This changes everything. We move from “What do you know?” To “What can you do with what everyone now knows?” In that world, what separates you… is your humanity. Empathy. Compassion. Context. Emotion. That’s the domain of the Relationship Economy. And it’s not a trend—it’s a response to what AI can’t do. AI will automate the tasks. But humans will activate the trust. AI will perform. But humans will connect. AI will scale knowledge. But humans will shape society. At Relatable, we’re building for this future. Where AI handles the heavy lifting… And people deliver the emotional impact. Fewer but deeper connections. Not more content—more connection. Not louder messages—stronger meaning. If knowledge becomes infinite and free, what will still matter is what only humans can create: trust, feeling, belonging. It is the road to the Age of Wisdom - that's coming. This isn’t the end of work. It’s the start of something more human than ever. So let’s stop asking if AI will take our jobs. And start asking: Who do we become when knowledge is free… and humanity is the differentiator? And how do we get to the next age of Wisdom? What do you think—are we preparing for that shift? VC - Steven Bartlett, The Diary of a CEO

A few years ago, I was in a critical sales meeting with a Fortune 10 hardware company, a 6-figure deal was hanging in the balance. My meticulously prepared presentation sat untouched. The SVP across the table wasn't looking for slides. He was looking for understanding. "We're not trying to buy a solution," he said, his voice heavy with years of transformation attempts. "We're trying to survive a fundamental shift in our industry." No algorithm could hear what was truly being said. In his voice, in his weariness, in his silence afterwards. This wasn’t a pitch. It was a moment of truth. Because when the stakes are existential, decks, data, and algorithms won’t help you. Only the irreplaceable human toolkit will do. I've thought a lot about that meeting since, and the 3-part sales toolkit that will remain human in this age of AI: 1. Empathy: The Wisdom Beyond Data Points An algorithm can analyze 1,000,000 sales calls. But it cannot hear the weight of failed transformation attempts, the politics behind a “no”, or the many reasons to not move forward. It cannot sense the unspoken organizational trauma of previous failed transformations. Empathy isn't just listening. It's understanding the invisible currents running through an enterprise. Empathy is the original sales intelligence - in fact, I might even call it sales wisdom. 2. Storytelling: The Original Persuasion Technology So I didn’t present slides, I didnt show data analysis, and I didn’t pitch a product. I narrated the story of a potential future - one where transformation efforts succeeded, were embraced, and built business success and career momentum. Instead of showing them what the product did, I talked about what a change could mean: for their people, culture, and customers. A great story doesn't just inform the brain. It moves the heart, inspires ambition, and comforts fears. 3. Complex Problem-Solving: The Art of Human Intuition Algorithms see patterns. Humans see possibilities. As I listened, I realized that the problem in that room wasn’t technical. It was human and cultural. No slide could have revealed that. But a conversation could. The Deeper Truth about AI AI is an amplifier of human potential. It makes you faster, sharper, more responsive, and more scalable. But it can’t replace what really closes enterprise deals: Listening - because what goes unsaid is sometimes the most important thing. Reading the room - because an RFP has no heart, no emotions, and no ability to buy on its own. Digging deep for the human story - because human emotions are what drive behavior. AI will make you faster. More efficient. More informed. But it will never replace the profound human ability to truly listen, to deeply understand, to build trust, and to create meaningful change.

Will we see a one-person company worth $1B? If the recent cohort of Silicon Valley startups like Bolt, Cursor, Loveable, Midjourney and more are any indication of what’s to come, then it looks likely.  AI is, of course, the driving force of near-vertical revenue growth and small, highly efficient teams. So is this “bootscaling” model here to stay?  I’m not so sure. It’s a fascinating shift. The move towards lean funding and team size is smart, but we’ll see how revenue retention holds up beyond the initial $10-$20M of ARR and when the AI gold rush era subsides. I am skeptical, and think we need to be careful about swinging too far in one direction. AI is an incredible tool for scaling productivity. It automates tasks, generates insights, and eliminates busy work. But it doesn’t replace human ingenuity, creativity, or the deep expertise and judgement required to translate an impressive initial burst into real business value. Companies that hire and scale responsibly *while* embracing AI will be the ones that grow sustainably into legendary companies. 🔹AI can enhance talent, but you still need the talent. The best teams will be those who understand how to use AI effectively, not those who try to eliminate human expertise. 🔹Specialization matters. Some startups are shifting toward hiring only generalists, but in complex industries (like AI itself), deep expertise is a competitive advantage. The details matter when building something truly special. 🔹People build relationships, not AI. Customer trust, strategic partnerships, and creative problem-solving will always require a human touch and empathy. The goal is to build the most effective team — one that knows how to use AI to move faster and smarter. Companies that strike the right balance will grow efficiently *and* responsibly. What do you think? Are we heading toward a world of tiny teams, or will the pendulum swing back? #AI #Hiring #Startups

Read a line in a newsletter this AM that stopped me cold: “There’s no difference in knowledge levels anymore — whether you’re an entry-level employee or an executive.” Wait. What? Sure, AI has democratized access to information. But since when did having the same tools mean we have the same insight, perspective, or judgment? Human experience — hard-won intuition, contextual nuance, relationship-building — still matters. Maybe more than before. We're not all bringing the same thing to the table. AI on our phones doesn't change that. Experience still counts. So does judgment, pattern recognition, leadership, and lived context — the stuff you can’t Google or prompt into ChatGPT. Let’s not confuse information with wisdom. Curious — is anyone else feeling the tension here? Are we underestimating what experience brings to the table?

Yesterday, I posted a conversation between two colleagues, we're calling Warren and Jamie, about the evolution of CX and AI integration. Warren argued that the emphasis on automation and efficiency is making customer interactions more impersonal. His concern is valid. And in contexts where customer experience benefits significantly from human sensitivity and understanding — areas like complex customer service issues or emotionally charged situations — it makes complete sense. Warren's perspective underscores a critical challenge: ensuring that the drive for efficiency doesn't erode the quality of human interactions that customers value. On the other side of the table, Jamie countered by highlighting the potential of AI and technology to enhance and personalize the customer experience. His argument was grounded in the belief that AI can augment human capabilities and allow for personalization at scale. This is a key factor as businesses grow — or look for growth — and customer bases diversify. Jamie suggested that AI can handle routine tasks, thereby freeing up humans to focus on interactions that require empathy and deep understanding. This would, potentially, enhance the quality of service where it truly mattered. Moreover, Jamie believes that AI can increase the surface area for frontline staff to be more empathetic and focus on the customer. It does this by doing the work of the person on the front lines, delivering it to them in real time, and in context, so they can focus on the customer. You see this in whisper coaching technology, for example. My view at the end of the day? After reflecting on this debate, both perspectives are essential. Why? They each highlight the need for a balanced approach in integrating technology with human elements in CX. So if they're both right, then the optimal strategy involves a combination of both views: leveraging technology to handle routine tasks and data-driven personalization, while reserving human expertise for areas that require empathy, judgement, and deep interpersonal skills. PS - I was Jamie in that original conversation. #customerexperience #personalization #artificialintelligence #technology #future

human skills will become MORE valuation in an AI-driven world. look. everyone is talking about ai replacing jobs. they're missing the point. ai isn't making human skills obsolete. it's making certain human skills more valuable than ever: 1. emotional intelligence: ai can analyze data, but it can't read a room. your ability to understand and manage emotions becomes your superpower. 2. creativity: ai can generate, but it can't innovate. true creativity - the kind that leads to breakthrough ideas - remains uniquely human. 3. critical thinking: ai provides information. humans decide what to do with it. your ability to question, analyze, and make nuanced decisions is crucial. 4. adaptability: the business world is changing faster than ever. your ability to learn, unlearn, and relearn is gold. 5. ethical judgment: ai doesn't understand right from wrong. as ai becomes more prevalent, ethical decision-making becomes more important. 6. complex problem-solving: ai excels at defined problems. humans shine when the problem itself isn't clear. 7. leadership and collaboration: ai can't inspire a team or foster a culture. these very human skills become even more valuable. the future isn't about competing with ai. it's about leveraging ai while doubling down on what makes us human. so here's the final takeaway: instead of worrying about ai taking your job, focus on developing these skills that ai can't replicate. that's how you become irreplaceable in an ai-driven world. what human skill do you think becomes most valuable in the age of ai? any others that i've missed? #ai #humanskills #futureofwork

In the Age of A.I., the Advantage Is Being More Human As we race ahead with large language models, clinical decision support tools, and robotic surgery, there’s one truth that’s becoming clearer: The most irreplaceable skill in healthcare isn’t data processing — it’s human connection. In his powerful #NYT piece, David Brooks reminds us: “A.I. may show us what it can’t do — and in doing so, reveal who we are.” For AI doctors and medical innovators, here are five takeaways worth reflecting on: 1.#Empathy isn’t optional — it’s the differentiator. A.I. sees trends; you see people. 2. Your clinical #voice matters. Be someone patients trust, not just a transmitter of information. 3. Situational #awareness saves lives. Protocols help, but instinct comes from experience. 4.#Creative thinking fuels innovation. The best breakthroughs challenge conventional models. 5. Presentation #skills count. In an A.I.-heavy world, your ability to communicate and lead will define your impact. A.I. will elevate healthcare but only if we double down on the human elements that no algorithm can replicate. Let’s major in being human. Credit: David Brooks, NYT – “In the Age of A.I., Major in Being Human” (Feb. 2023) #AIinHealthcare #DrGPT #DavidBrooks #EmpathyInMedicine #FutureOfMedicine #MedicalLeadership #HumanPlusAI #AIFuture

So, I recently had a very important conversation about AI.✨ And why mid-career and seasoned leaders in what I call the "magical middle" must not shy away from artificial intelligence, but strategically leverage it to amplify their story and unique value. Check out this special clip from my podcast conversation with Editor-in-Chief and business journalist Ebony Flake, about how AI can be used as an asset, especially during career inflection points in this new era of disruption and uncertainty. Ebony emphasized that AI isn’t about replacement... 👉🏾 It’s about augmentation and amplification. As she stated: "It has made my work, and the work of so many people that I know, so much better. It's not as if it's replacing me. But what it is doing is taking some of the grunt work off of my plate. It’s giving me a personal assistant." This also aligns directly with the recent LinkedIn Workforce Confidence survey, which revealed that 52% of job seekers already anticipate AI will handle more of their manual, mundane tasks—freeing up space for more impactful work. Below are a few tips on how you can leverage AI to enhance your career journey at any age or stage—particularly using my transformation framework: 📌 Reframe Your Mindset: Embrace AI with curiosity, not fear. The leaders who thrive in this new era will see AI as a partner, not a competitor. 📌 Define Your Unique Value and Purpose: AI can never replicate your creativity, empathy, or personal story. It can clarify and amplify your unique strengths. 📌 Set Micro-Milestones for Macro Growth: Use AI strategically to accomplish small, actionable goals that build toward significant career transformations. 📌 Leverage AI to Amplify Your Influence: Pair artificial intelligence with your relational intelligence to maximize your impact—making AI your strategic thought partner. The reality is clear: AI doesn't diminish your wisdom, your experiences, or your unique value—it elevates them. Thank you once again, Ebony for the amazing conversation. 🙏🏾 #FutureOfWork #AI #careers #transformation #MidCareerMastery