Mastery of technical expertise can only propel talent so far. To excel in a role, soft skills/power skills, while less quantifiable, are vital. Soft skills are often defined as interpersonal skills and relate to how you communicate and work with fellow employees, solve problems and think about tasks at hand. Soft skills are not only important for employees, but the success of an entire organization. A Yale University study found emotionally intelligent supervisor-led teams that were happier, more creative and innovative. Unsurprisingly, 70% of employees with supervisors lacking soft skills had a tougher time in their roles and carried negative feelings towards their work. The skills gap is only growing with 50% of the respondents to a Wiley’s “Closing the Skills Gap 2023” report stating jobs require more soft skills now.

At a time where our eyes and minds are on artificial intelligence (AI)’s impact on organizations and the workforce, leaders should look with curiosity at the role tools like generative AI can play to fill the soft skills gap. While ethical AI, assessments of risks and guardrails will always be important when deploying tools of AI, the benefit these tools like generative AI can have on a workforce is insurmountable. But newer technology is not the only way to help fill the gap — leaders can look to more traditional programs, once needs and gaps are understood and assessed.

As AI continues to change the future of work, AI-powered tools may be the answer to filling the soft skills gap as well as keeping employees excited, engaged and creative at work. How can you start?

AI Tools in the Workplace: Where to Begin

AI-powered tools and simulators are supporting talent in innovative ways but like all important things, there are measures that need to be in place before launching AI at work. Before beginning any change, it is important we understand the baseline. At Skillsoft, we recommend leaders first start with an assessment of where their organizations may have skills deficiencies and gaps. This ensures that targeted and impactful changes can be made to learning and development initiatives.

While you do not have to overhaul everything everywhere all at once in your organization, it is integral that learning and development (L&D) leaders begin with targeted AI implementation in specific projects or processes and then gradually expand AI usage as benefits become evident, scaling up across different areas of your business. There is lot of information and misinformation around AI so not everyone might be on board immediately.

Without cultural alignment and employee buy-in, a program may fail before it even begins. Ensure that employees understand AI’s benefits, and provide training, coaching and support. Your AI initiatives will have more likelihood of success if you are actively involving your employees in AI adoption decisions. Talent’s engagement in decision-making fosters comfort and collaboration, promoting successful integration.

Augmenting L&D With AI Tools

Once there is a clear understanding of your business objectives, how far you plan to scale, with buy in from your organization, L&D leaders can see the true power of generative AI tools like AI simulators and trainers. Several features found in AI simulators help to build soft skills in novel ways like:

• Improved communication: AI-powered tools can help managers communicate more effectively with their team members. For example, AI can be used to generate personalized messages, translate languages, and summarize complex topics. AI trainer tools can also provide a safe space for managers to practice how to provide crucial feedback through a simulated environment.
• Enhancing creativity: Working with these tools, managers can look at creative briefs with a new point of view, inspired by ideas and perspectives shared by generative AI.
• Employee engagement and feedback: AI-powered tools can facilitate employee engagement and feedback mechanisms. For instance, sentiment analysis can help managers gauge employee satisfaction by analyzing communication data. In turn, AI can offer personalized recommendations for improving team dynamics and collaboration.
• Talent management and development: AI can assist in identifying high-potential employees, skills gaps and training needs. Managers can use these insights to create personalized development plans, offer relevant learning resources and align individual growth with organizational goals.
• Decision support and scenario analysis: AI-powered tools can simulate different scenarios and outcomes based on various parameters. Managers can use these features to assess the potential impact of different decisions before implementing them, helping to make more informed choices and reduce risks.

Ensuring Ethical AI and Compliance

While AI has the potential to augment what we learn, how we learn, and how we work, L&D leaders must work with other members of the organization, including compliance leaders, to help define and develop clear guardrails around data management. Clear guardrails are just the start. There are several ethical and risk assessments to consider before implementing an AI-powered trainer.

We know that bias at work has a detrimental impact on the mental health of a workforce. Examine the AI-powered trainer for any data or algorithm issues. It will be important to make sure the training data comes from diverse sources and represents a wide range of perspectives. Finally, keep an eye out for biases and correct them regularly to make sure things stay fair and unbiased. Ensuring that an organization understands how data is collected, stored and handled within an AI tool like a trainer is paramount. As changes are made, organizations should be transparent about how data will be used and obtain employee consent before moving forward.

Similar to the steps that the L&D leaders must take before developing or even scaling the program, it is necessary to understand and share who will act as the oversight and ensure accountability. Nail down who oversees making sure the AI trainer is doing its job right the first time. If errors pop up, set up a system to catch and fix issues. As L&D (and the world at large) continues to learn more about tools like generative AI, it is critical to have safeguards in place in case something goes wrong with the AI.

Looking Beyond AI tools: No One Size Fits All

There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to soft skills development. The best approach will vary depending on the specific needs of the organization and the employees. Before implementing any program, whether a generative AI tool or another L&D program, you must first gauge and assess the skills your organization currently possesses as well as any critical gaps. By considering a variety of options, L&D leaders can help their employees to develop the soft skills they need to succeed in the workplace.

While AI can be used to automate some training programs, it is important to also deploy other methods for developing skills and promoting knowledge retention. One way is through mentorship and coaching. Implementing mentorship and coaching programs can provide employees with personalized guidance and support for developing soft skills. Experienced mentors and coaches can share insights, provide feedback, and offer real-world advice to help employees enhance their interpersonal and communication skills.

Leaders should also encourage peer-to-peer learning by creating opportunities for employees to share their knowledge and experiences. This can include cross-functional collaboration, knowledge sharing sessions or informal mentoring relationships. L&D leaders can organize interactive workshops, seminars and group discussions to facilitate similar experiential learning. These sessions can focus on specific soft skills like communication, teamwork, problem-solving and emotional intelligence, allowing employees to practice and apply these skills in a supportive environment.

While the influx of AI tools has some worried about the obsoletion of roles, L&D leaders should look at this new wave of technology with curiosity and opportunities to augment how we learn at work. While AI-simulators and trainers are a way to train and develop soft skills, it is not the only method leaders should look to implement. Wherever you land, remember the importance of understanding the baseline of your own organization’s skills deficiencies, challenges and opportunities: AI tools can be an option to help close prominent gaps.