Fostering Authentic Connections: The Role of Generative AI
Technology has driven us apart – but new AI tools can bring us back together.
Many technologies created to strengthen social connections have had the opposite effect, making users feel isolated and misunderstood. And our move to remote work only extended this problem into the workplace. But generative AI can help bring people together again by helping them do what they do best: connect genuinely through shared experiences and storytelling, says John Ehrhard, CEO of Orson.
Social technologies were a saving grace for businesses when COVID-19 shuttered offices, and millions of people learned to work and remain connected to their teams from home. We gained something from the increased use of Zoom, Teams, Slack, and other collaboration tools. But we lost something, too.
The ability to collaborate with individuals across different regions and time zones has undoubtedly presented incredible opportunities and efficiencies in business. But this connectivity brings serious pitfalls as well. Incorporating a remote workforce into a company’s culture poses its own set of obstacles.
Research shows that teams who know and trust one another are more productive. But when people no longer gather together in a physical workplace daily and build face-to-face relationships, mutual understanding and trust become more difficult.
Alignment around a company’s vision can suffer, affecting both remote workers and their employers. With employees frequently switching companies, it becomes increasingly challenging to establish meaningful connections with colleagues. This prevailing sense of isolation and replaceability creates a breeding ground for anxiety and depression.
Fortunately, the emergence of generative AI can help us reverse this trend.
Antisocial Networks
Social technologies designed for the workplace or to strengthen personal connections—have not entirely lived up to the promise of creating happy, cohesive communities. Instead, many have deepened divisions and contributed to increased rates of anxiety and depression.
The sense of isolation can be particularly pronounced for younger users, which is why there is a growing movement to prevent people from using Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and other networks until they reach the age of 16.
We have sacrificed understanding and empathy in our quest for brevity, reducing ourselves to mere soundbites. Though we have unparalleled access to information, we need more effective communication and genuine storytelling about who individuals truly are to determine who to trust. And the more reliant we become on technology, the more disconnected we feel.
Many of the technologies we have been using to talk to work colleagues or loved ones don’t help to create and maintain new communities – they simply help us distribute content more easily. But real connections aren’t built on just a photo, video, or pithy comment. They are built on shared stories and empathy for one another.
Social technologies, ironically, have caused our social skills to atrophy. But there is no reason we need to accept this outcome simply. We can fight it and use new technologies to strengthen communities and increase our social skills, especially one of our most critical: building community and empathy through storytelling.
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The Art of Storytelling
Throughout history, human beings have built connections through sharing our stories. But human storytelling arguably took a turn for the worse when stories filled with colorful characters, relatable scenes, and valuable lessons took the form of tweets and self-congratulating Instagram posts.
Despite the many communication channels available, people today need help to tell their stories effectively. But deep human connection stems from meaningful interactions, and it is through storytelling that we feel stronger empathy toward one another and bind ourselves together into a community.
Storytelling is ancient; even before oral storytelling took root, visuals were the preferred way to tell tales. Today, despite the emergence of many different channels and mediums, video is the most compelling way to share stories.
But telling stories this way has typically required the expertise of producers, directors, writers, cinematographers, and editors.
Reality TV earned a place in our hearts by making us fall in love with—or viscerally loathe, strangers within minutes. Behind this magic lies the science of storytelling.
But until the emergence of generative AI, creating video stories compelling enough to captivate people has been out of reach to just about everyone but entertainment industry insiders.
This is what has changed, and this is why technology can now begin to help us move closer together instead of further apart.
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Generative Video
Tech companies today are integrating the science of storytelling into automated video storytelling technology, allowing anyone with an internet connection to create compelling stories and share them.
AI can now function as a director, revolutionizing unscripted video storytelling by automating every aspect, from conducting interviews to crafting stories and editing engaging episodes with music, imagery, and graphics.
Anyone can take a short film with a mobile phone. Still, generative AI allows us to take this concept further by building a fully dynamic experience customized to tell specific stories in specific ways. An AI video director can select music and visuals that synchronize with the narrative at precisely the right moments and ask the user the follow-up questions that help the story come to life. This results in beautifully crafted storytelling videos that build meaningful connections with audiences.
An AI video director might sound like something to have fun with over the weekend, but it is far more than that. It can also be the ultimate employee engagement tool and workplace culture builder.
Imagine being able to watch a micro-documentary of your new coworker to not only learn what they are passionate about but also to learn how they speak about things they are passionate about. Little things like that help teams get to know each other and build trust much more than reading a resume.
Building Genuine Team Connections in a Globalized World
A company’s success is directly linked to its ability to attract and retain talented individuals while nurturing a strong and connected company culture built around a shared purpose and mission. But today, scaling human connection has become even more daunting as workers try to collaborate across multiple time zones and company leaders look for new ways to lead teams.
Creating stories that resonate with employees across different levels, cultures, and backgrounds is nearly impossible if you don’t have decades of practice and understand the science of storytelling. A skilled AI director could help the CEO share their vision in a way that will resonate with their audience and build alignment and connection across the whole company.
Genuine team connection today necessitates a medium that transcends boundaries, something social media needs to catch up on. Only collaboration authentically and ideally in the visual format that people prefer can accomplish that.
Combining generative AI with video storytelling gives us the first real opportunity to do that. An AI director can do what previous digital collaboration tools and many HR teams have needed help to do.
Companies that want to experience the benefits of having a truly connected team should get on board.
Have you embraced generative AI to enhance your team’s connections and culture? Let us know on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn. We’d love to hear from you!
Image Source: Shutterstock
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