With the Rise of Generative AI, Do Soft Skills Still Matter?

AI is transforming how we live, learn and work. It analyzes and synthesizes data in seconds, adding capacity to often overwhelmed workplaces. An app that used to take months to develop can be completed in weeks. This enables us to roll out projects quickly, and get our research to consumers faster than ever.

While there are ethical considerations for using AI, most people will agree that the industry will only grow. The questions become, how much of our time should we invest in AI, and are there other areas deserving of our attention.

There is understandably a rush to understand and embrace artificial intelligence. While this may make strategic sense, we shouldn’t abandon the soft skills that enable us to build and maintain trust, lead and grow teams, or champion worthy causes.

Here are six essential soft skills worthy of continued investment:

Communication.

Consistent and clear communication benefits teams, and everyone in an organization’s ecosystem. Learning to communicate with clarity is essential for maintaining relationships and establishing trust. In the absence of clear communication, people can form unhelpful conclusions. The soft skill of communication – including what you say, when you say it, and how you say it – is more important than ever. At a time when more people are using AI and more apps are using AI, it is imperative that leaders continue to embrace standard communications best practices of honesty, transparency, clarity and timeliness.

Creativity.

Everyone is creative. But not everyone taps into their creativity. Although AI is an important tool, creativity shapes how we use the tool and what we get out of the tool. It also helps us to discern critical gaps. For instance, if you are faced with an organizational crisis, you may want a host of creative ideas that allow you to address the problem while also preserving your brand and reputation. If you are struggling to secure or maintain earned media coverage, you may need a more creative approach to media engagement. To be creative, we need to create space for the creative process. This involves building in time for ideating, collaboration, and reflection.

Conflict Resolution.

Conflict is a part of the human experience. It is impossible to interact with people, and not experience some degree of conflict. Additionally, it is impossible to live with oneself and not experience internal conflict. How we manage conflict determines the strength of our relationships, and the strength of our brand. In fact, some of the public relations crises that we see are rooted in failure to properly manage conflict. It is essential that we invest in the skill of conflict resolution, even with the prevalence of AI tools that allow us to move faster and more efficiently.

Adaptability.

Our world is constantly changing. The way we work is ever evolving. Even publicity, in terms of how we garner it today versus what we did a decade ago, is different. The projects on which we work can rapidly change. Additionally, the tools we use to facilitate work are also changing. Being able to quickly adapt and pivot has always been important, but it’s essential now. If you are not able to adapt to new ways of learning, new ways of working, and new ways of relating, your growth will be limited.

Interpersonal Relations.

Software can add efficiency to how we work, but we will always need to collaborate with others to get many tasks done. Being able to interact well with people from different backgrounds, cultures or customs is important. Similarly, being able to establish trusting relationships with others is critical to your and your organization’s success.

Integrity.

In everything we do, integrity matters. Integrity is what we do when no one is looking. It looks like adopting sound practices around the use of AI. It looks like valuing people not just the intelligence they offer. It looks like investing in people even when competitors are championing the use of apps. It also looks like going the extra mile to address bias and discrimination inherent in many AI tools. With the rise of generative AI, the soft skill of integrity is more important than ever.

Jennifer R. Farmer, aka The PR Whisperer,^® is the principal of Spotlight PR LLC. Be sure to check out other blogs and subscribe for regular communications updates.