AI Can’t Train Us to Care

This Tuesday, I spoke at an event on AI in the federal workplace and had the chance to represent the “human” side in the classic human vs. AI conversation.

Presenters and sponsors shared an bunch of flashy tools designed to make learning faster, scalable, more efficient. But in my session, “From VR to AI: The New Era of Federal Employee Training,” I took a different angle. I argued that if we want better workplaces, we don’t need more AI hacks and that efficiency isn’t the point. We need to return to training that makes time for connection, presence, and the emotional intelligence our workplaces need. Y’know, human stuff.

In government especially, real professional development is disappearing. It feels like the only thing left is the annual mandatory training we all mindlessly click through.

That’s why, I turned my remarks, into a new piece for Psychology Today that makes the case that what teams truly need isn’t VR headsets but more time to together to build connection and practice hard conversations and vulnerability. Can AI support that? Absolutely. But let’s, pretty please, not pretend AI can replace it.

Read it here 👉 AI Won’t Fix Workplace Training but It Might Make It Worse

Slow Mindfulness is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.