AI spending is accelerating at a staggering pace. In 2026 alone, AI investments are projected to reach $2.5 trillion . That would be a 44% increase in a single year. Organizations continue to invest heavily in AI initiatives, but many leaders are missing an important piece of the puzzle: the human skills needed to help organizations realize the full value of these investments.

It has been shown that technology can accelerate productivity . AI can improve efficiency and amplify output. There are important elements of business activity that it simply cannot reproduce. When I think back to the intangibles that I’ve seen at the heart of so many business transactions over time, I think of essential human elements like trust, conflict resolution and humility. That’s why, as AI gets smarter, leaders need to make sure they’re cultivating the human side of things, too.

The Enduring (and Increasing) Need for Soft Skills in Business

It’s easy to slip into seeing AI as more than a tool. It can hold conversations, stay calm in crises and provide extensive data-backed advice across a wide range of subjects. But at the end of the day, it has some major limitations.

AI can automate tasks and remove human error. AI can conduct many forms of research faster than humans. It can organize and analyze large volumes of siloed data that would be difficult for individuals to analyze on their own.

But AI can’t build trust. AI cannot genuinely demonstrate soft skills. It lacks the capability to ask a question and then watch for all of the verbal and non-verbal signals in the answer.

At the same time, soft skills remain one of the most valuable currencies in the business world. The abilities to listen, empathize and show emotional intelligence remain distinctly human capabilities that AI cannot fully replicate.

To put it simply, humans remain uniquely positioned to demonstrate soft skills. Leaders can connect with their employees to build trust and foster loyalty. In contrast, AI can inform and educate, but it cannot form genuine human relationships. But it cannot connect on that deeper emotional level.

There are more soft skills in business than I think many of us realize, too. For instance, humility has become an increasingly valued leadership trait.

Lisa Nichols, author, co-founder, and host of the leadership podcast Something Extra , recently interviewed the former CEO of MiTek, Tom Manenti, specifically about the concept of humility in business. Nichols and Manenti touched on the central aspect of humility as a way to transform leadership.

If you want something like humility to have a positive impact, though, Nichols and her guest emphasized that the way it looks matters. Things like false humility and leading from behind aren’t effective. Instead, humble leaders are willing to do simple but bold things, like admit their mistakes. They want feedback — not once, but continuously as they try to become better people. Humility can help create teachable leaders and business cultures that can bring out the best in people and adapt quickly during times of disruption.

For leaders up to their necks in AI initiatives, it’s important that they take the time to keep soft skills a priority. Make sure you’re invested in building trust on a human level. Lead with humility. Show your employees and your customers alike that, while you use AI to be more efficient, the human element is still a significant part of your organizational operations.

Going Beyond Soft Skills to Prioritize Human Connection

It’s easy to reduce soft skills as a counterpoint to hard skills. The latter are practical and measurable. Soft skills are intangible. That much is true.

But to truly understand the importance of soft skills in the workplace, you have to look beyond their practical purpose and see them as part of human connection.

In its report on leadership in the AI age , McKinsey specifically calls out trust and collaboration as central aspects of modern leadership. Humans are uniquely capable of investing in things like relationship-building, coaching and mentoring .

People have the ability to foster a sense of belonging. People can also just as easily squash that sense of togetherness and connection if they aren’t careful.

As AI handles information processing at scale, leaders may have more opportunity to focus on the human side of their jobs. As McKinsey puts it, AI-era leadership can thrive when leaders blend digital fluency with human depth.

As a leader, where do you see the opportunities to create a sense of belonging in your workplace? Where can you demonstrate genuine humility? AI has changed the game. Employees increasingly have access to information that once resided primarily with leaders. They can use tools to access data-driven answers.

Increasingly, employees look to leaders who are in touch with their humanity. They need leaders who are less focused on certainty and predictability and are more interested in things like authenticity, empathy and clarity. How are you emphasizing these soft skills and human connections in your leadership?

Cultivating Future-Ready Leaders for Future-Ready Organizations

Moving forward, the companies that thrive may not be those with the most advanced technology. They'll have leaders who know how to bring people through change. They’ll have success complementing AI’s “smarts” with their own human “wisdom” as they work alongside artificial intelligence to maintain healthy, productive, relational companies where AI doesn’t replace people. It brings the best out of them.