Augmented Empathy

When leaders fail on the people side of change, initiatives fail. In fact, 27% of employees cite a lack of empathy in communication as the reason for failed transformations (The Grossman Group x The Harris Poll, 2025).

The danger is real: leaders can't carry limitless empathy without burning out. What they need is sustainable empathy — staying human without absorbing every emotion in the room.

Organizations that use AI responsibly understand this. They treat human needs — safety, meaning, connection — as core infrastructure for change. Not as side projects.

The goal for 2026 isn't to care less. It's to care in a way that lasts.

2025 was a wake-up call for corporate governance. Amazon pulled AI-generated recaps that invented plot points, and Deloitte Australia had to refund government fees after AI errors in a report.

That's why companies like Google, Cisco, and McKinsey are reintroducing in-person interview rounds — a human checkpoint in an AI-driven hiring process. In the age of "AI Architects" (TIME, 2025), AI can verify facts and automate screening. But humans remain essential to assess intent, integrity, and deeper judgment — the qualities that machines can't reliably evaluate on their own.

The goal is no longer to replace judgment. It's to design systems that enhance it.

"This is not just a technological shift; it is a societal inflection point. As intelligence scales, so must our responsibility to guide it. We must define clear actions and ask urgent questions: How do we ensure humans retain and expand their agency in a world increasingly run by machines? Will human intelligence be diminished, augmented, or fundamentally transformed? How do we keep AI aligned with human goals, cultural values, and regional realities?" — AI House Davos 2026

Don't just retain. Retrain. To unlock Career Velocity, organizations are moving from one-off training to "change as a system" — treating people transformation as a permanent operating system.

At Pernod Ricard, leaders removed the risk from learning. Sales teams weren't penalized for missing targets while mastering a new AI tool. The result: 85% adoption.

At BASF, "PlantGPT" turned engineers from manual data seekers into active decision-makers, using AI to onboard faster and handle high-stakes operations. Add tools like Google's Career Dreamer, which helps employees explore entirely new professional paths rather than just optimizing old ones.

AI is no longer just about efficiency. It's becoming the foundation of a new idea of career growth. As intelligence scales, leadership must ensure one thing scales with it: people's ability to evolve.

Organizations are already designing AI for emotional support. LG's 'Affectionate Intelligence' links technology to care, not just efficiency. ESCP Business School uses ESCPal, a mental-health chatbot, to help students build resilience.

The most compelling data comes from HP, where an AI triage for behavioral health led to a 44% increase in treatment adoption and a 9.7/10 satisfaction score. A new model is emerging — one where AI handles the first mile of empathy — immediate, judgment-free support. Human managers can then focus on complex, high-stakes connections.