As artificial intelligence reshapes industries at a breakneck pace, many leaders agree the digital transformation underway is not just about technology—it’s about people.
In fact, Anna Marrs, group president of global merchant and network services at American Express, said empathy is the most under-hyped factor in the AI transformation era and that preserving human connection is key to capitalizing on radical technological changes. At the Fortune Most Powerful Women conference in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, she said she finds Anthropic’s Claude to be one of the most empathetic AI tools she uses: “He’s really nice to me.”
Recent studies show that while AI has at least some capacity to display empathy, people still prefer consoling messages from other humans. But as AI continues to develop, it could become more empathetic, other studies show.
Paula Kerger, CEO of PBS, said that empathy among leaders is critical in the AI era, especially since “a lot of people are terrified” of the technology and are paying close attention to it. To her, being empathetic looks like continuing to build trust with consumers in the AI era by disclosing how content is created and how organizations talk about the transformation, she said.
