As AI takes over more and more tasks, what is becoming clear is precisely what makes humans unique. Not our computing power or our memory, but our ability to feel, understand and really listen. Here, at the same time, is perhaps the greatest irony: The smarter technology gets, the more important the human aspect becomes. The question is not whether humans will remain relevant in an AI world, but what exactly makes us irreplaceable.
Three irreplaceable human superpowers
- Emotional intelligence: The heart that AI lacks
Imagine this: a customer calls, frustrated about a defective product. AI can quickly check warranty terms and suggest a solution. But a human? A human can hear from the voice that there's more to it. Maybe this product is for an important event. Maybe this is the third time something has gone wrong. The stress. The disappointment. The story behind the problem.
What this looks like:
- Immediately acknowledging the emotion: "I hear you're really struggling with this."
- Continuing to ask for context: "When do you need the product?"
- Offering personal solutions: "Let me prioritize this"
- Creative thinking: Why the best ideas never come from an algorithm
The team is stuck. Weeks of preparation, piles of data all pointing to the same marketing approach. Until someone looks up during the coffee break and says, "Wait a minute.... what if we approach this completely differently? What if this isn't a product we're selling, but a community we're building?"
You can recognize that human creativity by:- Meetings that suddenly take a completely different turn
- Someone who solves two problems at once with one idea
- Those 'eureka' moments where seemingly separate puzzle pieces suddenly fit together
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Ethical judgment: When the data says "yes," but your gut says "no"
The automation proposal is on the table. All graphs point up, all costs down. Perfect right? Until you consider how it feels when you yourself are on hold at a call center. Or how your grandmother reacts to chatbots. Sometimes you just have to stop and ask, "Is this really what we want?"The questions that matter:
- "Are we really making people's lives better, or just cheaper
- "Do our customers still feel heard?"
- "Where do we draw the line between smart and bare?"
From 'soft skills' to real superpowers
Years ago, empathy and creativity were somewhat dismissed as "soft skills" - nice to have, but not really important for your career. How different that is now. These skills are your salvation in an AI world.
AI holds up a mirror to us: what is truly human? Computers are taking over all the routine jobs, but for everything that requires real thinking, feeling and creativity, they still need us.
A CEO recently said to me, "We have one simple rule: with every choice, we ask ourselves if it makes us more human."
The result speaks for itself: 32% more productive teams, 27% happier employees, and customers who say, "You guys are high-tech, but also really human."
The 15-minute test that transforms your team
Take 15 minutes this week for these three steps:
Step 1: Identify three moments in the past month when you or someone on your team really made a difference through typically human qualities. What exactly happened?
Step 2: Ask yourself: what barriers prevent these qualities from being expressed more often? Lack of time due to administration? Lack of recognition?
Step 3: Determine one concrete action to make more room for these human qualities. For example, implement an AI tool that takes over routine tasks, or adjust how you organize meetings.
The unexpected truth about competing with AI
In the AI era, humanity is becoming the greatest competitive advantage. Not as a counterpart to technology, but as an indispensable complement to it. It is not about human or machine, but about finding the right balance between them.
So as a leader, you don't have to ask yourself whether you should use AI. The real question is: how do you make AI empower your people instead of replacing them?
Because ultimately, it's not about the tools we use, but about the impact we make with them. Not about how fast we change, but about how wisely we handle this change. Not about what is technically possible, but about what is humanly valuable.
Want to know more about how to prepare your organization for a future where humans and AI enhance each other? Find out in "From Homo Sapiens to Robo Sapiens: Human Leadership in the AI Age."
This blog post is a contribution by Lizzy Prins, owner of High Potential Factory and author of the book "From Homo Sapiens to Robo Sapiens - Human Leadership in the AI Age." You can find more inspiration at highpotentialfactory.com or visit Lizzy's talk during Data Expo on Wednesday, September 10, at 15:45 in lecture hall 4.
