Witnessed a breakdown at the airport, I offered a simple human connection. As AI enters our lives, our emotional intelligence—the ability to truly feel others’ pain—becomes our irreplaceable superpower.
The story
Yesterday, I watched a stranger break down at the airport when her flight was canceled. Others looked away uncomfortably, but I approached her with a simple question: “What do you need right now?”
That small moment of connection reminds me why emotional intelligence matters so deeply, especially as AI becomes more integrated into our daily lives.
While writing “A Practical EmPath,” I’ve been fascinated by this paradox: AI can simulate empathy convincingly, but it doesn’t actually feel your pain when you share it. There’s no gut-level resonance when AI witnesses suffering. It can’t truly understand the cultural and personal contexts that shape our emotional experiences.
The airport stranger didn’t need an algorithm to solve her problem. She needed someone to sit with her in her distress, to recognize her humanity in that vulnerable moment.
This is why developing our emotional intelligence has never been more crucial. As AI handles more of our interactions, our uniquely human capacity for authentic empathy becomes our superpower – in leadership, relationships, and creating meaningful change.
Our emotional intelligence isn’t obsolete in the age of AI. It’s our most valuable asset.
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