Yesterday afternoon in the Floridian Ballroom of the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, TMC CEO Rich Tehrani greeted the audience before introducing Generative AI Expo 2025 keynote speaker Santhosh Srinivasan from Amazon Web Services (AWS). Moments later, Srinivasan delivered what we considered to be quite a unique presentation.
The title of this particular #TECHSUPERSHOW session?
“Utilizing Generative AI for Improving Soft Skills.”
“Allow me to begin with a modern reality check,” he began. “When AI can be trained to speak hyper-eloquently — extremely human-like speech — it is so important to remember that it cannot and will not replace all that we do. And in that vein, us maintaining our soft skills in today’s world is still of vital importance.”
It’s true. Research carried out by the Carnegie Institute of Technology has shown that 85% of a business’s financial success is due to skills in human engineering via well-rounded emotional intelligence quotients, or EQs. (This comprises one’s personality and ability to communicate effectively, negotiate wisely, and lead with consistency.)
“Shockingly,” Srinivasan confessed, “only 15% may be due to one’s IQ. This is why our very human capabilities or “soft skills” matter as much as hard skills in the business environments we now find ourselves regularly interacting in.”
So, how can we use GenAI efficiently in this endeavor?
“Well, as stated,, AI can excel at mimicking human conversation,” Srinivasan said. “So, could the same technology not help us enhance our own human-to-human communication skills?
Indeed, as he would go on to describe, it can.
For context, GenAI/large language models (LLMs) are powered by foundation models; they’re pre-trained on vast amounts of unstructured data, can contain virtually an infinitude of parameters that make them capable of handling complex concepts (including conversational patterns), and can be applied in a wide range of use cases across demanding verticals.
Srinivasan proceeded to highlight how LLMs can:
- Help hone creativity by brainstorming ideas and communications by simulating conversations and providing real-time feedback
- Generate varied solutions to multi-layered problems (while evaluating sprawling lists of pros and cons)
- Respond to our emotions, simulate stressful/emotionally charged scenarios, practice sensing empathy, etc.
Srinivasan continued by detailing prompt chaining strategies (i.e. series of instructions to explain and improve models’ roles with respect to given learning activities, secondary functions, exit conditions, etc.), role-playing and interactive simulations with pre-developed character profiles, how to have GenAi personalize analyses based on strengths/weaknesses and unbiased feedback (rather than subjective opinions), and churn out actionable insights and recommendations.
Examples:
- “Review the following response in a simulated team discussion scenario. Asses the user’s collaborative skills and evaluate negotiation-focused dialogue based criteria regarding assertiveness and conflict resolution.
- “Compare and contrast responses and weigh the effectiveness of each, then explain which should be used and why.”
Then, Srinivasan shared GenAI context awareness, structured learning approaches and other niche practice methods; skill-specific modules, adaptive learning capabilities, purpose-built agentic workflows, gamification of soft skills development via “scoring” and incentives, and microlearning modules tailored for bite-sized exercises that increase engagement.
“At the end of the day,” Srinivasan concluded, “how you use these is ultimately up to you, and you should afford yourself grace as you progress (while not inadvertently developing an over-reliance on GenAI).”
“Refining soft skills in our technology-everything age is a marathon, not a sprint. And also remember, such text/voice-driven prompts don’t take facial expressions and social cues into account. Avoid problematic prompts, and keep your eyes peeled for hallucinations and inaccuracies.”
“This is a tool,” he added. “Human connections are still crucial as we harness such tools. Learn at your pace, and work wisely.”
Read more on this topic here.
Edited by
Alex Passett
