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COLLEGE PARK, Md., Jan. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ The next stage in the evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) has workforce implications that may seem surprising. Rather than fostering tech-savvy, AI is making emotional intelligence and empathy increasingly important, and analytical ability less important, write Roland Rust of University of Maryland s Robert H. Smith School of Business and co-author Ming-Hui Huang in their book The Feeling Economy: How Artificial Intelligence Is Creating the Era of Empathy, released today by Springer International Publishing. Ironically, as AI is becoming more able to think, human intelligence is deemphasizing thinking in favor of feeling and interpersonal relationships, says Rust, Distinguished University Professor, David Bruce Smith Chair in Marketing and founder and Executive Director of the Center for Excellence in Service at Maryland Smith.
The book argues that AI is rapidly assuming a larger share of thinking tasks, leaving human intelligence to focus on feeling. The result is the “Feeling Economy,” in which both employees and consumers emphasize feeling to an unprecedented extent, with thinking tasks largely delegated to AI.