Soft Skills, AI in the Workplace, & Health Care

Response to Peter Cardon’s 1.23.24 article, New Study Finds AI Makes Employers Value Soft Skills More

The article emphasizes the importance of soft skills in the context of integrating AI into workplaces. The argument presented underscores the need for a human-centered approach to AI adoption, with a focus on ethics, communication, and other interpersonal skills. This will be essential in the world of health care.

The recognition that employees will need to become "mini AI ethicists" highlights the ethical considerations associated with AI use. The emphasis on virtues, integrity, and strong moral character aligns with the idea that careful oversight grounded in high moral values is essential when incorporating AI into the workplace. The suggestion to consider AI issues through various ethical frameworks and familiarize oneself with responsible AI principles reflects a proactive approach to address potential ethical challenges, which will be huge in health care.

The importance of transparent communication about AI's ethical implications and its potential impact on employees is stressed. The article suggests that open conversations and collaborative approaches, such as creating task forces with diverse subject-area expertise, contribute to maintaining trust within organizations.

On the communication front, the article argues that as technology mediates more day-to-day interactions, genuine human communication becomes even more valuable. The shift in focus from written to oral communication skills suggests that the ability to navigate human interactions, foster trust, and convey authenticity is increasingly crucial. The call to prioritize face-to-face and synchronous interactions emphasizes the need for genuine experiences where technology plays a limited role. This too will be especially imperative in the health professions.

The article encourages workers and companies to be intentional about cultivating soft skills, acknowledging their difficulty to master and measure compared to technical skill sets. The overarching message is that a renewed focus on soft skills if done thoughtfully, can lead to vastly improved workplaces with strong values, rich communication, and dynamic innovation.

The article provides a positive perspective on the integration of AI into workplaces, arguing that it can prompt an improvement in human-centered soft skills rather than rendering workplaces soulless. It calls for a careful and intentional approach to ensure that AI enhances, rather than diminishes, the valuable skills and connections that make us human.