The future is human. My husband works in tech/engineering. My one son is a sophomore studying computer science. AI has turned their world upside down. Many software engineers describe feeling an identity crisis. Who are they if they aren’t writing code?
But my husband and son didn’t pump the brakes. They leaned in. They got curious. The work is changing, but they’re still doing what they do best: solving problems and continuing to learn. I think they are enthralled by the speed of change and the excitement of getting to be a part of it.
My world looks different. I’ve spent my life building teams, earning trust, aligning missions, and creating community through clubs, owning a running business, working in edtech with underserved students, and now back behind a counter getting to know people by name. My relationship with AI reflects that. Yep, I use it too. I have 5 kids and MANY schedules and projects to manage. But what I can see clearly is this: all of this change, disruption, efficiency, and speed are going to put a premium on human connection.
Mark Cuban said it well: “Within the next 3 years, there will be so much AI — people won’t know if what they see or hear is real. Which will lead to an explosion of face-to-face engagement, events, and jobs.” He believes it so much he’s investing in events companies.
I believe that. When everything can be generated, real authentic connection becomes everything. The expectation for better service is rising.
Why do we still go to a movie? A concert? A restaurant? Connection. We get a dopamine hit when the barista remembers our name and asks how our week is going. Howard Schultz built an entire philosophy around the idea that people need a third place — not home, not work, but somewhere they belong. That was always the point. AI doesn’t change that. It deepens it.
I’ve never been the person building the algorithm. I’ve been the person building the room.
Here’s what I keep coming back to: humans are made for connection. It’s not a soft skill or a trend, it’s who we are. But it has to be lived. Believed. Modeled. The generation growing up alongside all of this isn’t going to learn it from a screen. They’re going to learn it from watching the people around them. That’s how it’s always worked.
And here’s what frustrates me: companies will invest everything into the customer experience and almost nothing into teaching their own people how to actually connect. You can’t pour from an empty cup. If you want your customers to feel it, your team has to live it first.
This is what I know how to do. This is what I’ve always done. Show up. Mean it. Teach it. That’s the work.