Issue 189: The Human Connection Challenge in an AI-Driven World
Welcome to Backstory, a weekly newsletter turning global technology shifts into a three-minute read. This week, we’re thinking about emotional intelligence in the age of AI.
THE BIG TAKE
The Human Connection Challenge in an AI-Driven World
The rise of AI in leadership and the pervasive use of technology among young people reveal both remarkable potential and concerning challenges in human interaction. While AI has emerged as a powerful tool for leaders to enhance decision-making; its limitations, especially in areas requiring emotional intelligence, are becoming clear. Meanwhile, technology’s role in shaping interpersonal connections has sparked discussions on its unintended consequences—chief among them an epidemic of loneliness. This disconnection is exacerbated by technology, despite the fact that it was initially intended to enhance connection and communication.
Do we lean on tech too much? The reliance on technology to fulfill emotional or social needs is a major challenge for individuals and organizations. In leadership, emotional intelligence, or EQ, remains irreplaceable, even as AI becomes integral to analyzing data and strategizing. Leaders still need to empathize with employees, as AI lacks the nuance and warmth essential for human connection. Similarly, among youth, the heavy use of social media and text-based communication, while seemingly connecting them, has paradoxically led to feelings of isolation. These are serious challenges.
How we can lead. The Gulf, with its rapid technological growth and robust investment in innovation, could lead by example by prioritizing technology that strengthens human connection rather than replacing it. Initiatives could include integrating AI tools that support rather than substitute emotional intelligence in leadership roles, promoting digital literacy that fosters healthier online behaviors, and encouraging technology designed to facilitate genuine, face-to-face interaction. By focusing on such solutions, the Gulf could not only foster healthier interpersonal dynamics in its own communities but also set a model for addressing the global challenges of disconnection in a technologically advanced society. It’s an issue with global ramifications.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?”
- Charles de Gaulle
This week, we’re exploring gaming. Roblox keeps shocking the gaming community with its impressive and steady growth but does the platform need to “grow up”?
SPOTTED ELSEWHERE
Picking the wrong product. A recent MIT study identifies a unique group of consumers, dubbed “harbingers of failure,” who have an uncanny tendency to purchase products that flop in the market, from coffee-flavored sodas to obscure brands of laundry detergent. These consumers repeatedly buy items that are soon pulled from shelves, indicating that their purchasing patterns may predict product failure. This insight challenges conventional marketing wisdom, suggesting that certain customer enthusiasm could actually be a red flag for future sales. By exploring these “harbingers” across various categories, the study reveals new dimensions of consumer behavior, potentially reshaping market research practices.
Our attention is up for grabs. In today’s hyper-connected world, our downtime has turned into yet another battleground for competition, driven by metrics. What used to be leisure time — reading a book, running a marathon, or simply enjoying music — has morphed into quantified achievements shared on social media, fostering comparison and fueling endless self-measurement. Platforms like Goodreads, Spotify Wrapped, and even gamified wake-up routines have made every moment about beating goals or measuring up. This quantification, powered by a push for unceasing growth, has reshaped personal fulfillment into public performance, erasing true leisure, according to this fascinating argument by Julia Alexander. As technology intensifies, our relationship to joy and rest becomes more commercialized, ensnaring our attention and eroding our ability to simply exist in peace.