Artificial intelligence is not only changing how we work, it’s also changing how we communicate with each other.
Ironically, as AI gets better at generating words, many organizations are finding it harder for people to connect. People may get lonely and crave human connection after a day of interacting only with an LLM. Human interactions may feel less fulfilling and empathetic when they take place via technology. When conversations are mediated by technology and AI, people receive fewer nonverbal and contextual cues and may rely less on their own capacity to formulate, interpret, and repair interpersonal communication. AI also actively shapes language and can make it harder to determine whether another person’s empathy, interest, or self-expression is authentic, potentially weakening trust and reducing opportunities to practice essential human communication skills.
As a result of the loss of fidelity and empathy, friction may occur when technical experts struggle to explain complex ideas to executives. Time-consuming rework may ensue when business leaders make quick decisions without fully understanding the technology. Costly mistakes can be made when cross-functional teams speak in different professional “languages.” Frustration may emerge when meetings end with confusion instead of clarity. AI projects can stall, not because the technology fails, but because the humans can’t find common ground.
That’s why I believe one of the most important leadership skills today is speaking human.
Speaking human means communicating in a way that helps other people understand, contribute, and make good decisions. It means translating complexity without oversimplifying it. It means listening before persuading. And it means remembering that every important business decision is ultimately a human decision.
This idea is central to my work on human-centered AI. While much of the conversation about AI focuses on algorithms, automation, and productivity, my research has focused on something different: how AI affects human relationships and well-being. AI can certainly improve efficiency, but it can also unintentionally reduce trust, authenticity, and connection if we allow technology to replace rather than strengthen human interaction. The organizations that thrive will be the ones that use AI to enhance human judgment, not diminish it. Here’s a link to a recent book chapter we wrote that gives organizational leaders a framework for avoiding harm and implementing organizational-goal-aligned AI.
That’s also the inspiration behind our new Speaking Human program. Together with business strategist Marcia Daszko, we’ve created an experiential retreat for leaders of technology companies to focus on connecting and collaborating to build stronger communication, better decision making, and deeper collaboration across technical and business teams. The goal isn’t simply to communicate more clearly, it’s to create the kind of human connections that outlast any technology.
As you integrate AI into your workflows in your companies, consider how the technology may impact the people, how it can augment performance and employee experience and what you can do to keep people speaking human to minimize negative impacts and maximize success.
Technology will continue to evolve. AI capabilities will continue to expand. But trust, collaboration, empathy, and critical thinking remain distinctly human strengths.
The future doesn’t belong to the organizations with the most AI. It belongs to the organizations whose people know how to speak human.
