What will be humans' role as AI becomes ubiquitous?
This post is part of a series on humanity's enduring value. The series aims to encourage more startups to reinforce humanity, not replace it. Full premise is below.*
Strong societies build support through interpersonal connections. AI will further allow people to interact without actually communicating directly. Imagine advanced social media and communication platforms without direct emotions, nuance, tone, or body language.
However, personal connection has value for everyone in terms of physical health, mental wellness, and community strength. It often causes us to live longer and happier. In business, higher emotional intelligence often results in more effective team progress.
Let’s remind ourselves of these benefits.
Physical Health
Research shows that social connection can lead to a longer life, better health, and improved well-being. Being around others strengthens the immune system, helps expedite recovery from illness, and increases longevity.
Conversely, a lack of social connection can be more harmful to health than obesity, smoking, and high blood pressure.
Mental Wellness
Social connection can lower anxiety and depression, help regulate emotions, lead to higher self-esteem, and foster greater empathy. Furthermore, it can boost mood, reduce stress, and improve self-esteem. Meanwhile, a lack of connection has negative effects.
Making new connections can initially feel awkward, but it leads to great insights, support, and happiness.
Better Community
A sense of community, belonging, and supportive connections encourage positive outcomes.
"Alone we can do so little;
together we can do so much."
— Helen Keller
We see this in companies when people suggest, build, and challenge ideas constructively through task forces, brainstorming, and feedback. We find mutual benefits in joint business and community ventures, like sponsoring a learning center to train future employees.
Being surrounded by people who support our goals can be uplifting, and the opposite is true.
Stronger Leadership
Emotional Intelligence is the ability to understand, manage, and communicate one's emotions. By relating better with stakeholders, a leader increases support for their vision.
I’ve known founders who do not care about others’ feelings. Many employees eventually leave or withhold information due to apathy or fear.
I’ve also known founders who fear offending anyone. They do not push their employees, who perform poorly, which discourages others at work.
Finding the right balance means reminding stakeholders of the company’s goals and managing them to support those goals in the best way possible.**
AI has extraordinary value. However, we should be mindful that AI cannot replace the benefits of connectedness to improve our lives and leadership. Instead, AI can augment our ability to form and maintain relationships.
Imagine heading to a large conference. Beforehand, everyone completes a short survey of their interests and goals. An AI engine can match people based on their surveys, so when you arrive at the conference, you already know who shares your interests and can jump into a lively conversation.
Hopefully, more startups will look at ways to use AI to augment humanity.
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* Premise: Change inevitably involves tradeoffs. As AI continues to advance, solving complex and widespread problems, we must consider what humanity might lose in the process. This four-part series on What Makes Humanity explores how failure, connection, creativity, and purpose benefit humanity in the hope that startups build solutions where AI and humanity converge meaningfully.
**One example here: If an employee has an issue affecting their work, you may be tempted to give advice or act. Instead ask, "Do you want to be helped, heard, or hugged?" to clarify how you can be the most useful at that moment.
The introductory post Startups at the Convergence of Innovation and Humanity is here and Part 1: The Value of Failure can be found here.
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This post was written by me with AI editing. Picture is a stock image.