Dear Penny: AI can’t do everything

Dear Penny: AI can’t do everything

Covid was an interesting time wasn't it? About two weeks before we went into our first lock down I handed in my resignation to my employer. And for the first time in my life, I had handed in my notice without having another job secured. As you can imagine, the timing couldn't have been worse. So, I ended up working in a fish factory for a few months to make ends meet. It definitely wasn’t my dream job, but it was a job nonetheless. I got up every morning at 5am to be at work by 6am and on my drive in I’d smash the same playlist every day. One of the songs has a line (or section) in it that I remember to this day.

“
Relationships are the single most important thing to you and your life
It's the source of all of your best memories
It's the source of all of your worst memories
When you think back on your life
And you're 95, a hundred years old
And you look back over the course of your lifetime
You're not gonna think
I wish I owned a better phone
I wish I spent more time on the internet
I wish I spent more time at work or sleeping
It's not gonna be any of those kinds of things
It's gonna be I wish I spent more time with the people I love
“

Pretty appropriate given what everyone was going through at the time. Though this song faded from my top playlists over the years, I’ve been starting to think about these lyrics again. Particularly in relation to the rise of AI and how it’s slowly seeping into everyday life. It’s made me question a few things in particular: what effect will AI have on our ability to connect as humans? And how will it impact relationships?

In a recent interview, Open AI CEO Sam Altman noted that more and more people are starting to use ChatGPT as a therapist or life coach. They openly divulge personal information and ask for advice on relationships, careers and or even how they should feel about certain situations. Instead of speaking with friends or family, or even those they are in a relationship with, they are turning to AI. I’m not sure about you, but this makes me a little bit nervous. 

Working through relationships, having challenging conversations, making decisions about life and sharing and showing emotion with people, these are deeply human experiences. They are the experiences that shape who we are and help our brains form healthy neural networks and adaptive coping mechanisms. It’s part of what makes humans human. Yes it can be uncomfortable, yes it can be challenging, but it’s also very rewarding. As Brene Brown’s work highlights, vulnerability is the core of courage and those who are brave enough to embrace vulnerability unlock more authentic, fulfilling lives full of love, joy and belonging. 

So what happens when we start to interact with chatbots more than people? When we avoid the discomfort of vulnerability? When we replace human-to-human interactions with human-to-tech interactions?

I raise these questions and this topic because across the board we’re seeing businesses and individuals adopt AI at lightning speed. It’s exciting, it’s fast paced and at times, terrifying. It’s revolutionising jobs, changing industries and offering technology we could only ever dream of. When AI is used to do things humans would never have been able to do, or make manual tasks faster, I get really excited. I believe this use of AI is incredible and will empower humans to do, and achieve, more. Where I get nervous however, is when it’s being used to replace human-to-human interaction. 

Within the wellbeing and people space we’re starting to see this more and more. AI tech that replaces human-to-human connection by wedging itself between people, most prominently, between leaders and employees. A good example of this is the way some platforms collect information from employees about how they are doing via a survey or AI chatbot, analyse the data and then use AI to suggest how the leader should then respond (usually via chat message). Processes like this allow us to avoid the discomfort of vulnerability and the unease that often comes with purposefully taking the time to see how someone is doing. Have you experienced something like this in your workplace? Does your leader actively connect with you themself in order to understand how you are doing? Or are your interactions padded by some form of technology?

Whether it be in our personal life, or our business life, I believe it’s important to be aware of how AI and technology is being used. And I believe it’s particularly important for senior leaders, executives and decision makers to be aware of the unintended outcomes when choosing and implementing technology. People are at the heart of every business and while AI and technology can fast-track almost any task, it can’t fast-track relationships. Human-to-tech solutions are easy, scalable and fast, but they’re also fallible, costly and damaging. 

As teams shrink and roles change over the coming years, it’s imperative we prioritise each other and build strong relationships, built on trust and connection. The messiness of life, whilst at times uncomfortable and challenging, is what makes us human. So be courageous. As a partner. A friend. A colleague. Show up for yourself and for those around you. Embrace the not knowing, the trying and failing, the discomfort and the unease. Because this is where you’ll also experience joy and love and connection. AI and technology is fantastic and it will revolutionise the world we live in. But let’s not lose sight of the fact we’re human along the way.