We talk a lot about AI taking over. At the same time, many people are expressing concerns and fears about what we might lose as AI becomes an increasingly significant part of our working lives.
I personally believe that instead of focusing so much on AI taking over, we should spend a little more time thinking about how we can strengthen the human edge, and what that actually means.
Human skills in the age of AI
This is something we spend a lot of time on in every Team Creativity workshop. In fact, it is a byproduct of every workshop, even when the focus is on something entirely different.
The goal might be to explore a new strategy, bring company values to life, strengthen collaboration or address another important team challenge. But the method we use harnesses human creativity, and the process allows every participant to tap into their own existing wealth of creativity.
And creativity connects deeply to our humanity.
Creating together strengthens connection, expression and empathy. It encourages us to communicate differently, listen to different perspectives and understand something about ourselves and the people around us. These are deeply human qualities, and ones I believe we need to strengthen as technology becomes more present in our working lives.
What happens when we create together?
Regardless of whether the goal of a workshop is to establish a new strategy, explore company values or work towards another team-related goal, two hours spent getting creative together can lead a team through a different kind of exploration and communication.
It creates space for people to express ideas that may be difficult to put into words, see familiar questions from new perspectives and understand how their colleagues think and feel. In that sense, the process can expand our understanding of ourselves and each other in a way that AI cannot replicate.
AI can support us, but it cannot replace human connection
AI can process information, generate ideas and help us work more efficiently. But it cannot replace the human experience of creating something together, looking another person in the eye, interpreting what they have expressed, sharing your own perspective and building understanding between you.
Perhaps, then, the question for HR and People leaders should not only be: How do we prepare our people for AI?
It should also be: How do we strengthen the qualities that make us human?
Invest in the human edge
My suggestion is that we spend more time investing in that human edge and a little less time worrying about AI taking it away.
After all, worrying does very little to change the future. Strengthening our people might.
P.S. Yes, I used AI for this article, but not to write it. I used it to transcribe my thoughts and correct the text. And perhaps that is exactly the point: AI can be an incredibly useful tool when it supports human thinking rather than replaces it.
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About the author
Peppi Stünkel is the founder of Team Creativity, helping organisations improve communication, collaboration and innovation through structured creativity. Her workshops use painting as a practical thinking tool to create meaningful conversations, fresh perspectives and stronger teams.
