Cover As AI is introduced to more parts of our lives—whether through generative AI tools used at work or how companies integrate the technology into home appliances to personalise the customer experience—how can we embrace it without losing our human values? (Photo: Getty Images)
As AI is introduced to more parts of our lives—whether through generative AI tools used at work or how companies integrate the technology into home appliances to personalise the customer experience—how can we embrace it without losing our human values? (Photo: Getty Images)
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Technology moves so fast that it can be hard to process. But to stay ahead, we need to lead with human values
Anyone reading this article is probably also thinking about artificial intelligence and how it’s already changing the way that we work. With all this transformation, it’s easy to be overwhelmed. It feels like there’s some new model coming out every week. Blink and you’ll miss the announcement of a feature that used to only be something imagined in science fiction.
This is an opportunity for us to both draw on our humanity as a way of driving innovation and to find ways we can use these innovations to be more human. Three startup founders weigh in: Arvin Tang is founder and CEO of Akin by Techlyon, a digital agency focused on client growth while also being impact-driven; Dorothy Yiu is co-founder and CEO of EngageRocket, which uses technology for employee engagement and to build better workplaces; and Calvin Cheng is founder and CEO of Wizpresso, which offers AI-powered financial market intelligence and regulatory compliance.
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Above Calvin Cheng’s Wizpresso offers AI-powered tools for stakeholders in the financial market to identify investment opportunities, access ESG activities, monitor regulatory requirements and manage knowledge bases (Photo: Zed Leets)
Calvin Cheng’s Wizpresso offers AI-powered tools for stakeholders in the financial market to identify investment opportunities, access ESG activities, monitor regulatory requirements and manage knowledge bases (Photo: Zed Leets)
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Navigating human versus technology
Yiu says, “AI is here to stay; you either adapt or die. That’s the reality of things.” Not only do companies need to adopt AI, she adds, but they need to do it at a pace that matches both their employees and potential competition. This is going to be challenging, and it’s key to understand what AI can and can’t do in order for companies to strategise the best ways to move forward and empower their teams.
Cheng is quick to point out a limitation, especially of generative AI. “AI doesn’t have a moral compass,” he says. “It’s basically a prediction model. So it is trying to help you, it’s a tool, it’s a means to an end—but it’s just predicting the next word. It doesn’t actually think about what’s right or wrong.”
This is where humans continue to be relevant—bringing the discernment, decision-making and accountability. “I think the technological shift is just that AI can be a compass,” says Tang. “But it’s very difficult for it to be the navigator. We humans, consultants, still need to be the ones to plan the next step, navigate it and then use the AI as a very good compass—a very good machine to get there.”
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Above Dorothy Yiu is the co-founder and CEO of EngageRocket, an award-winning Singapore-based employee engagement platform (Photo: EngageRocket)
Dorothy Yiu is the co-founder and CEO of EngageRocket, an award-winning Singapore-based employee engagement platform (Photo: EngageRocket)
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AI is here to stay; you either adapt or die. That’s the reality of things
Being more human
Both Yiu and Tang highlight the importance of coaching. Performance might be better measured through systems that can track indicators and generate progress reports. But the human aspect of spending time with someone and seeing them, as we do when we coach, could lead to even more meaningful insights. As Yiu says, it involves conversations like, “Hey, what’s your ambition? Where do you see yourself in the next year or two years? How can we set you up for success in this organisation?”
She adds that it’s also human relationships that drive retention and turnover. “People don’t leave bad companies; they leave bad bosses.” This isn’t likely to change just because AI systems and agents become part of work. “You use data to help inform, right? How can we tailor our humanness and build connection? That’s where data is helpful,” says Yiu. In other words, we can use data to better understand our teams and flag challenges, and we can use AI to become better managers and leaders.
“See it as a way to improve yourself,” says Cheng. “I’m a big fan of using AI for knowledge and education. How can it help us improve on areas where we may be weak? Of course, we need to be careful when working with generative AI due to hallucinations, where it may cite untrue information, but as the models get better and offer deep research capabilities and other features, it means that we have access to an almost limitless amount of knowledge.”
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Above Arvin Tang is the founder and CEO of Akin by Techlyon, a digital agency that designs impact-driven marketing campaigns backed by human behaviour data (Photo: Darren Gabriel Leow)
Arvin Tang is the founder and CEO of Akin by Techlyon, a digital agency that designs impact-driven marketing campaigns backed by human behaviour data (Photo: Darren Gabriel Leow)
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Tang adds, “What does it mean for you to be human? It means the critical thinking that happens 99 per cent of the time in your brain. You might not be able to explain it but the conscious and the unconscious [are involved in] your thinking process.”
This can lead to new ideas and other positive outcomes, he says, when coupled with an AI with a different thinking model. The quality of ideas and the speed of work can increase as we combine human insights and intuitions with such powerful tools. This means we can do better and get more done much faster. The question then becomes: what do we do with our time?
Tang says that leaders will have to “embrace and accept that it is true that they, both leaders and their teams, will do less work but not necessarily less thinking”. In his case, he sees the newly available time as an opportunity to focus on well-being and space to find innovative ideas and solutions. He tells his team: “Make sure that you are considering new skills, new things to think about. Use your AI to learn about how this connects to performance.”
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We humans still need to be the ones to plan the next step, navigate it and then use the AI as a very good compass to get there
Leading with purpose
It’s key to lead with mission, purpose and meaning— essentially, a “why”. Tang says that a key activity for him has been to realign his company’s vision to its purpose. “This purpose-led vision allows me to align it with my and my team’s personal interests as well.” He says that being purpose-driven allows them to stay fresh and excited about their work, which in turn minimises, if not prevents, burnout.
Yiu concurs, saying: “In a world like this that’s so uncertain and chaotic, more engaged employees are more resilient to change. They’re willing to tough it out with you. They’re willing to be more creative. They’re willing to go the extra mile for the organisation when times are tough.
“We are living in an era where there are five generations in the workforce. How can I tailor my approaches to the diversity that we’re seeing?” Add to that the coming introduction of non-humans into the mix, and this diversity will bring both challenges and opportunities. If we can understand the technology, be more human in our interactions and lead with purpose, then we might be on the right track to take advantage of those opportunities.
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