Soft skills remain invaluable to ensure smooth communication, high-functioning workplace relationships, and company growth. AI tools are helpful for some tasks and processes, such as research, writing, idea and content generation, qualifying sales leads, customer support, and more. Clearly, AI is reshaping how people complete work and how businesses operate. However, tech-based AI apps and tools don’t replace the need for effective interpersonal attributes and social skills.

Soft skills include communication skills, teamwork, problem-solving, time management, critical thinking, decision-making, organizational skills, and emotional intelligence. These skills aren’t quantifiable like technical hard skills such as coding or data analysis. Human-centered skills are more nuanced, requiring interaction with others, subjective judgement, emotional connection, and practice to apply them in various situations.

What is the relationship between soft skills and the use of AI in the workplace?

Human Use of AI for Specialization

AI facilitates specialized division of labor. Say, generating ideas for writing marketing copy or an SEO-optimized media post. AI use for these tasks may replace a brainstorming session among peers where interpersonal skills come into play. AI also handles routine tasks, such as finding a trend from a database, based on specific prompts and improves efficiency.

Communication and Emotional Intelligence

From a project standpoint, soft skills matter when it is time to work with others and integrate that marketing copy or data analysis insights into a larger campaign or strategy session. People apply creativity, judgment, experience, and emotional intelligence to build on AI output. The refined ability to communicate clearly, solve problems, think critically, and collaborate as a team involve key skills to drive toward a successful outcome.

Adaptability

Humans excel at agile learning, adapting to new variables, and problem-solving. Meanwhile, AI depends on prompts and inputs to generate output based on its sources – databases and large language models used to train it.

Creativity and Innovation

AI optimizes processes but it lacks innate human creativity and the ability to innovate. An idea inspired by a coworker’s story, observation from a travel-based anecdote, or a nostalgic memory might take a campaign in a new direction or help view an audience in a fresh way. Soft skills help to convey and further explore that shift in information, guiding where it may lead.

AI certainly has proven useful to optimize workflow and processes. Regardless of how AI is used for individual, team, or company purposes, the technology does not replace the need and benefits of soft skills. These skills can be learned and strengthened to enhance co-working relationships, improve productivity, and differentiate a project or company culture.

UMKC TalentLink’s short-term Soft Skills Certificate Program can help businesses strengthen skills in employees. You’ll attract and retain top talent, too. If your workplace and teams can benefit from soft skills training and professional development, then UMKC TalentLink can provide a proven expert to help.

Read our case study on how UMKC TalentLink provided soft skills training at City Union Mission. 

Our expert facilitator Jeremy Gray has led soft skills training for other nonprofit and for-profit clients. Get in touch with UMKC TalentLInk to discuss how we can help provide training and development for your team.