Emotional Intelligence is More Important than Ever.
It is nearly impossible to go about our daily lives without engaging with some form or AI or hearing about a new advancement or new signs of trouble from AI. MIT just wrapped up its first ever brain scan study of Chat GPT users, and the results aren’t good. To summarize briefly, the study was set up as thus: one person does a task (write an article), a second uses ChatGPT to the do the same task, and a third person doesn’t do the task. When researchers then had ChatGPT users go back and write without AI, they found that they performed worse than those who never wrote the article in the first place. The team used EEG brain scans on 54 participants and witnessed a 47% reduction in brain connectivity regarding the topic that was written about if the participant used Chat GPT to write it.
The breakdown of this study highlights this point by saying, “You write something, hit save, and your brain has already forgotten it because Chat GPT did the thinking.”
The negative consequences of this should be pretty obvious, but when looking back at the article I wrote about How DiSC can Help, it’s startling to think about how many employees can no longer accept constructive criticism while also relying on AI to do their work. The fact of the matter is that we are losing our ability to connect with each other and to engage in a cooperative environment. Increased screen time and non-verbal forms of communication are making it harder and harder for many to engage face to face. Using AI more and more is reducing our abilities as professionals, not increasing them. They may be saving your company time, but that may come at the expense of employee development, company culture, and overall performance.
As a leader, you may wonder why my team dynamics continue to erode. Why doesn’t my team engage like they used to? As an individual you may look around at co-workers who seem more confident, or always seem to get the promotions. Why does it seem easier over there than over here? Why do they get along with everyone?
The idea of emotional intelligence, or EI, is not a new concept. It was formerly introduced in 1990 and defined as, “the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feeling and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions.” Salovey and Mayer, “Emotional Intelligence,” imagination, Cognition and Personality, 1990. We need to be immersed in our careers, not at the expense of our personal lives, but enough to care about the skills we are developing and the people we work with. These are tangible skills that can be eroded by using AI, but they are also intangible skills that allow us to cooperate, collaborate, and create with other individuals, and without fear. Constructive criticism is very important within any team dynamic, onsite or remote. I’m pretty sure that remembering the work you just completed is important as well.
The more connected your team is, the better they will perform. The more connected you are, the better you will perform. Anyone who watches sports knows what it’s like to witness a team “firing on all cylinders” or a team that “has great chemistry.” We use metaphors because we can’t really describe it, but it’s obvious to see that it is better. What you witness is a team that is connected, that understands each other, and has put the effort into their own responsibilities as well as understanding those around them. They support and build each other, they help make each other better. This is what your team can look like, this is what work can be like for you.
