Discover why AI isn’t replacing human connection—it’s making it more essential than ever. Explore how leaders can close the empathy gap and build a more human future of work.
Michael Brenner
Vice President, Thought Leadership and Customer Advocacy
Workday
Here’s the paradox no one’s talking about:
The more we use AI to automate work, the more we crave what only humans can give—empathy, connection, and meaning.
Ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos this year, we asked thousands of professionals how AI is changing their work. What they told us wasn’t about fear of job loss or robots taking over. It was something deeper—and more human.
82% of employees said that as AI becomes more embedded in their work, they’ll want more connection. Not less. But here’s the kicker: only 65% of managers agree.
That’s not a small gap. That’s a leadership blind spot big enough to break your culture.
Because here’s the thing: AI is going to take stuff off people’s plates. That’s the promise. But what do we put back on? That’s the question. And the answer is connection.
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Let’s start with the stat that stopped me in my tracks:
82% of employees say they’ll crave more human connection as AI becomes more embedded in their work. But only 65% of managers see it.
That’s not a minor disconnect. That’s a leadership crisis in the making.
Because while we’re all caught up in the race to implement AI, most leaders are missing what their people are quietly screaming: We want to feel seen. We want to feel connected. We want to know we still matter.
And this isn’t about foosball tables and Friday happy hours. This is about the kind of everyday human moments that make work…work. A manager with emapthy who checks in because they want to, not because it’s a task. A team that celebrates a small win together. A company that doesn’t just optimize workflows—but listens.
But when leaders don’t recognize this growing hunger for connection, we end up with a familiar story:
This is what I mean by the Paradox of AI. We’re automating everything except the one thing that truly drives performance: how people feel at work.
So yeah, AI might boost output. But if we don’t fill the connection gap, we’ll lose the very thing that makes people want to show up in the first place.
The more we automate, the more human connection we need.
There’s a myth we need to bust: that more AI at work means less need for human interaction.
It’s the opposite.
When AI takes over the repetitive stuff—the scheduling, the report pulling, the data crunching—it doesn’t just free up time. It creates a void. A space that used to be filled with hustle gets replaced with… what, exactly?
That space is craving something real. Something human.
Think about it: as meetings get shorter, chatbots get smarter, and processes get automated, the little moments that made work feel like a shared experience start to disappear. The hallway conversations. The inside jokes. The “you okay?” from a teammate who actually means it.
AI is amazing at doing tasks. But it’s terrible at making people feel connected. And when those moments fade, people notice. Not always consciously. But in the “I don’t feel like I belong here anymore” kind of way.
And here’s the paradox: the more efficient we make work, the more meaning we have to consciously design back in.
So if you’re a leader thinking, “Great, AI just saved my team 10 hours a week,” the follow-up question has to be:
“What am I doing to reinvest that time into human connection?”
Because otherwise, all we’re doing is automating our way into isolation. Improving workplace communication is one place to start. But communicating better isn’t enough because people crave connection.
Let’s get real: human connection isn’t some squishy, feel-good perk. It’s a performance multiplier.
Teams that trust each other, that feel seen by their leaders, that know their work matters? They move faster. They solve problems more creatively. They stick around longer. And they burn out way less.
Don’t take my word for it. The research backs it up. In study after study, high-trust organizations outperform their peers—in productivity, profitability, innovation, you name it.
And yet, we’re still not budgeting for connection. We’re still not measuring it. We’re still treating it like “culture stuff” when it should be in every board-level strategy conversation.
Now here’s where AI comes back in.
When AI saves your team time, you have a choice. You can:
AI is the ultimate efficiency engine. But connection is the ultimate loyalty engine.
If we get too focused on speeding up and forget to connect, we’ll win short-term and lose long-term. You can’t optimize your way to trust.
So the real business case for connection? It’s the only thing AI can’t do for you. And that makes it your biggest competitive advantage.
82% of employees said that as AI becomes more embedded in their work, they’ll want more connection. Not less. But only 65% of managers agree.
If you’re a leader reading this, here’s the truth: AI doesn’t make you less valuable. It makes your humanity more essential than ever.
This isn’t about learning to code or becoming an AI prompt wizard. It’s about becoming the kind of leader your team actually wants to follow—especially when the ground is shifting under their feet.
Here’s how to close the connection gap:
The empathy gap starts when we assume we know how people feel. Don’t.
Use the same tech you’ve invested in to get real insights:
This isn’t about surveillance. It’s about awareness. And awareness is leadership
AI gives you the gift of time. The best leaders will use it to:
It sounds simple, but this is what builds trust. Not strategy decks.
Connection doesn’t always just “happen,” especially in hybrid or remote settings.
Create space for it:
You don’t need to be a therapist. You just need to care—and show it.
Yes, AI can help you be a more informed leader. But it can’t do the connecting for you. You still have to:
In the end, the job of a leader isn’t to automate connection. It’s to protect it.
AI isn’t the problem. Disconnection is.
When we automate the busywork, we free up space. But nature hates a vacuum—and if we don’t fill that space with something meaningful, people will fill it with silence, cynicism, or their exit plan.
That’s the paradox. The more we automate, the more human connection we need. Not less. More.
So if you’re leading a team, ask yourself:
“Am I using AI to speed things up—or to slow down and see my people?”
Because the companies that win in the AI era won’t be the ones that move the fastest. They’ll be the ones that move forward together.
If you’re ready to dive into the research behind this shift, download our Research Report Davos: Elevating Human Potential: The AI Skills Revolution
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