Why the soft skills are the hard skills again

In the behavioral health space, an industry currently being swarmed by AI "disruptors" (real or imagined), a common term used to ensure clinical safety is "human in the loop."

While advanced technology can create efficiencies and complement care, it can't function safely without human oversight. Sure, AI can read data and spot patterns at a pace no human can replicate, but it lacks the lived human experience required to interpret context, read the subtext of a situation and establish genuine trust.

This isn't just a clinical safety rule. It's a universal challenge of technology adoption across markets.

As David Schonthal writes in Inc., "AI can build the plan. Humans still have to make it happen."

Schonthal points to Boston Consulting Group research showing that 70 percent of digital transformations fall short of their goals. Not because the technology isn't good, but because algorithms can't navigate the human side of change, like our anxieties and the deeply rooted behaviors that hold us back.

Psychological friction shows up wherever AI gets brought in.

AI can generate a perfect treatment plan, workout routine or lifestyle program in seconds. But an algorithm can't soothe a patient's anxiety, build a therapeutic bond or navigate the fear that keeps someone from actually following through on the plan.

A company can roll out the most accurate AI tool on the market, but if employees feel their autonomy is threatened or fear being automated out of a job, adoption is going to stall. The technology works, but the humans it's connected to don't always want to work with it.

So what's going to be the most important skill set as technical development and execution keep advancing?

Our humanness. The ability to read a room, build trust, navigate emotional friction and make another person feel safe or inspired beyond what's in the code on their desk. Technology can change how we work, but you still need a human to influence the change in the person doing the work.

Soft skills are making a comeback. And let me tell you, this ol' Communications major and Theatre minor has never been more relieved. ;)