Human connection is an urgent business investment in the AI era

Over the last decade, we have been perfecting the algorithms of convenience, and in doing so we have inadvertently moved away from the frequent human interactions that sustain our communities and our workplaces. 

Throughout my 25-year career in philanthropy, I have worked on challenges like climate change, gun violence prevention, chronic disease prevention, and closing the opportunity gap for workers. While these issues are undeniably critical, I truly believe we cannot solve them in a vacuum of social isolation. We have created a world of unprecedented digital convenience—we use grocery delivery apps, self-checkout lines, streaming services, and text messages, versus phone calls. We are now hyperconnected online, and yet experiencing the highest reported rates of both loneliness and anxiety in recorded history. The World Health Organization Commission on Social Connection has determined that loneliness affects nearly one in six people globally.

The rise of generative AI and AI companions is the next significant shift in this journey. With more than 800 million people using just ChatGPT every week, there is truly a fundamental shift in how we seek information and communicate with others. We are at a time where advances in AI technology could actually serve as a bridge to deepen our understanding of one another and our relationships.

However, if we allow digital interactions to replace real-world ones, do we risk losing the human art of caring for one another? This issue goes unnamed in boardrooms, but the erosion of human connection could pose a material business risk if it goes unnoticed and unattended to. As we move deeper into the era of artificial intelligence, we need to pay very close attention to investing in human connection, to prevent our relationships at work from atrophying.

WORK ACROSS DIFFERENCES

We know that trust in institutions and the ability to solve global and local issues depends on our ability to work together and across differences. That’s why the Workday Foundation is doubling down on human connection as a primary pillar in our grantmaking strategy. Today, only 34% of Americans believe that most people can be trusted. Building trust back requires intentional interactions with one another—talking to our neighbors, sharing meals, and attending civic events.

The urgent challenge now is to begin creating opportunities for increased human connection. Let’s begin to treat social connection as a measurable social good, one that requires the same level of planning and investment as any other critical infrastructure. This means moving beyond the trap of simply using AI to do more work. A portion of the time we gain from using AI should be a dividend that we invest back into our real-life relationships with our colleagues, neighbors, friends, and family.

COLLECTIVE SOCIAL COHESION

Rebuilding our collective social cohesion will require a cross-sector movement. Ideally, tech innovators should prioritize pro-social design that accelerates human flourishing. Simultaneously, nonprofits and community leaders need resources to scale local initiatives that help repair our social fabric, like intergenerational programs that build understanding, or neighborhood projects that transform proximity into genuine belonging.

For example, at the Workday Foundation, we have launched a pilot program with our partners at the U.S. Chamber of Connection called “Connection as a Cause,” to help our employees become social connectors in their own local communities. It expands our definition of volunteer service—inviting us not just to do things for our neighbors, but to actively build real relationships with them. When we design for connection, we aren’t just making people feel better. We are building the trust and cohesion necessary for a functioning community and thriving economy.

As leaders, I hope we can recognize that human connection is no longer a “soft” benefit, it’s a business imperative. A bright future depends on our ability to prioritize the human algorithm—the messy, friction-filled, and rewarding process of connecting with one another. I invite you to join us in this movement.

Carrie Varoquiers is chief impact officer at Workday.