Our Content Editor, Gabriel Barnes, speaks to Michael Jenkins, CEO at Expert Humans. They discuss the balance that needs to be struck between Artificial Intelligence and Emotional Intelligence in HR to ensure workplaces are compassionate and humane, whilst moving in step with technological advances.

Gabriel Barnes: How do you think Artificial Intelligence and disruptive technology will have an impact on how HR operates?

Michael Jenkins – We have already seen disruptive changes brought about by Artificial Intelligence that were scarcely imaginable just a few short years ago, such as the advancement of AI into our lives via social media. These have raised questions about privacy and individual protections which the world of HR has had to grapple with. Given that some of the most valuable data – data about people – is held by HR, HR finds itself in a truly unique position in terms of how it operates as a profession in respect of AI.

We are already at the point where ethics and morality around data is a key concern – and this is only set to grow in importance. I anticipate that HR professionals are going to become even more aware of the expectations on them to act as the custodians of people information. So along with an existing plethora of responsibilities within their job, the HR professional is also going to have to be an ethics champion. No surprise then that some people believe the CHRO role may well give rise to a new, more widely-recognised role – that of Chief Ethics Officer!
 

Gabriel Barnes: In what ways have you seen the coronavirus crisis changing the way that Artificial Intelligence is used?

Michael Jenkins – Of course, HR is currently at the forefront of dispersed team working, where AI is facilitating new ways of interacting synchronously and asynchronously. I expect that HR will become the go-to resource for others who want to know what effect the new ways of remote working are likely to have on people. It will be responsible for advising on, supporting, and sometimes challenging the way that work from home is being implemented. Therefore, decision-making around people issues by HR is therefore likely to become more acute and delicate as time goes by and as technology continues to offer increasingly intriguing ways of using data.
 

Gabriel Barnes: So is the advance of AI also going to require a concomitant “dial-up” of human skills from HR?

Michael Jenkins – I think it will. Human skills such as altruism, compassion, and empathy (which I call “ACE” attributes) are set to become even more “in-demand” as people look to continue the trend we have witnessed towards the humanisation of the workplace – hastened by the global pandemic and the effect on us all of the intrusion of rapidly mutating viruses into our lives.
 

Gabriel Barnes: Do you think there is a balance to be struck between technology and the ‘human touch’ – and do you think this is doubly important at a time of crisis?

Michael Jenkins – The human touch is definitely the aspect which – even as technology itself advances exponentially – is going to be the defining factor in a number of HR-critical areas. We already know that news travels fast and that the EVP as well as employer brand can be definitively shaped by the application of AI. Take the growth in popularity of apps such as Glassdoor for example, where the potential for negative and sometimes disastrous PR incidents has never been more potent – meaning that companies, with HR in the lead, must work even harder to ensure that their workplaces are welcoming, psychologically safe, creative, and above all, warm (as in “humane”) places to be.

Empathy is the word of the moment and I think HR has a great contribution to make in modelling empathetic behaviour at work. At the same time, using AI to free up HR time (by digitalising mundane tasks) will not automatically result in HR people having more “quality” time for the employees of an organisation, and thereby provide more value – they themselves will need to be coached and supported to become more compassionate (something that HR has not always been known for – although the hard work of many people to try to change this view is in my view beginning to pay dividends). This is a perception we need to continue to change for the better.
 

Gabriel Barnes: So is there a potential for AI to have a ‘humanising’ effect and where might this have been seen already?

Michael Jenkins – I have already seen AI in HR greatly supporting companies with labour-intensive, exacting tasks – for example around recruitment and selection. The key will be to leverage such time-savings to enable HR to develop other skills. For example, understanding the business and the formulation of strategy is an area where HR professionals say they want a greater say and to have more impact. AI may be able to help us gather masses of rich and interesting data – but then HR people are going to be expected to be able to interpret that data – not just collect it.

Another area that is ripe for HR people to take the lead is in advancing the sustainability agenda of their organisation (assuming they have one. If they don’t, then they should position themselves as champions for more sustainable business and working practices– and explore ways to leverage AI in these areas!).
 

Gabriel Barnes: What are your predictions for the future of the relationship between Emotional Intelligence and AI?

Michael Jenkins – I think the best organisations of the future will be the ones that harness the power of both AI and EI. My personal view is that AI is a gift to humanity which used well, will bring massive benefits. We are already seeing this in terms of the speed at which we have developed vaccines to tackle COVID-19. I also think AI will be able to help speed up the humanisation of the workplace through –

1. Accelerated removal of tasks that humans no longer need to spend time on

2. Development of hybrid AI-human working (augmentation)

3. Leveraging AI to better understand how, for example, our own brains and bodies work.

As far as the Future of Work is concerned, companies that are high on AI but low on EI really need to take stock and pay attention to their people. Companies that are low on AI but high on EI need to rachet things up a gear and get AI-savvy before they become obsolete. It’s one thing to spend time in a warm and human workplace – who wouldn’t want to? And yet we need to get in lock-step with the times and move on technologically too, or there won’t be a job to go to.

We need them both – AI and EI.