Today, we're diving into something pretty cool—how AI is actually helping us become better at talking to each other."
Have you ever found yourself endlessly typing back and forth with a customer service bot, only to realize halfway through that you're stuck in an absurd loop of scripted responses? It's that moment when you’re trying to explain your problem as clearly as possible, but the bot just doesn’t get it. You start wondering why you’re even bothering—why you're pleading with a machine that’s clearly not equipped to handle your frustration or understand the nuances of what you’re saying. It’s like talking to a wall.
Yeah, well that happened to me recently.
So the other day, I'm trying to get some customer service from my online streaming platform. You know the drill—these chat boxes aren’t answered by people anymore. The first contact is an AI bot. Now, I’m not inherently against technology, but I grew up in a time where you could just pick up the phone, talk to a real human, and get your problem solved. So when I type in my issue and the bot responds with five paragraphs of information that don’t even come close to answering my question, you can imagine my frustration.
The Gen Xer in me doesn’t want to go round and round like I usually do. I don’t want to keep rephrasing my question in hopes of hitting the magic combination of words that makes the bot finally understand what I’m saying. I want to talk to a real human being, so I type in “agent.”
The bot replies, “Ask another question.” I can feel my blood pressure rising. I type, “Please transfer me to a live agent.”
It replies again, “Ask another question.” At this point, I’m starting to wonder if the bot is toying with me. It feels like I’m trapped in some kind of digital Groundhog Day where no matter what I say, I’m doomed to get the same useless response. So, I retype my quandary, changing the words ever so slightly, and hit enter. And guess what? The bot gives me another five paragraphs of different information that still doesn’t answer my question.
By this time, I’m practically yelling into the phone as I type “AGENT.” I’m getting nowhere fast, and I’m irritated beyond belief. This goes on for a while until, finally, I retype my issue, tweaking my words just a little bit more. And guess what?
The bot answered my question. Then, as if it had just won some sort of twisted game, it smugly asks if the information it gave me solved my problem. I begrudgingly said yes and signed off, feeling both relieved and oddly defeated.
This whole interaction got me thinking: Is AI actually improving our conversation skills? Not just between humans and machines, but among people in general. We often take for granted our ability to communicate, assuming that just because we're speaking, we're being understood. But this interaction highlighted a fundamental truth: communication is hard.
When we talk to each other, there’s a lot happening beneath the surface. We assume that others share our context or that they can follow the leaps in our thought process. We often forget to provide the necessary background information or to clarify our points. This is where miscommunication thrives, leading to frustration, misunderstandings, and sometimes even conflict.
But with AI, things are different. These systems are designed to operate based on the information they receive. If we give them vague, incomplete, or poorly structured input, they’ll respond in kind—often with irrelevant or unhelpful information. However, when we take the time to be clear, concise, and thorough in our communication with AI, the responses we receive are much more accurate and useful.
This interaction with AI forces us to be better communicators. We have to think about the clarity of our input, the structure of our queries, and the context we provide. It’s almost like training for our conversational skills. If we can learn to be more precise and thoughtful in our interactions with AI, these habits can spill over into our conversations with people.
Think about it for a moment. How often do we assume that the other person knows exactly what we’re talking about, only to be met with confusion? Or worse, how often do we think we’ve made ourselves perfectly clear, only to find out later that the message was completely misunderstood? These are everyday occurrences in human communication, but they become glaringly obvious when dealing with AI.
AI doesn’t fill in the gaps. It doesn’t make assumptions. It doesn’t guess what you might mean if you’re unclear. It takes what you say at face value and responds accordingly. This forces us to be much more deliberate in how we communicate. We start to see where we might be vague or where our assumptions about what others should understand might be flawed. AI’s insistence on clarity reflects back on us, highlighting our own areas for improvement. It’s as if we’re being taught the importance of good communication by something that lacks any real understanding of communication itself.
This raises an intriguing question: Can we learn empathy, patience, and clarity from a machine that lacks all three? The answer, surprisingly, seems to be yes. By requiring us to overcompensate for its lack of emotional intelligence, AI nudges us toward more thoughtful, deliberate communication. We become more aware of the words we choose, the structure of our sentences, and the need to provide context—all of which are crucial in human conversations as well.
It’s a bit ironic, really. We’re developing better human skills by interacting with something that, on the surface, seems utterly incapable of teaching us anything about human interaction. The discipline it demands from us in how we communicate is very real. And in the process, we might find that our interactions with people improve too. We might become better at listening, at explaining ourselves, and at understanding others.
We’re forced to step up our game. We have to articulate our needs more clearly, structure our questions more carefully, and provide context that we’d normally assume others would just understand. This isn’t because AI is particularly demanding—it’s because it’s completely clueless. And therein lies the lesson. By overcompensating for AI’s lack of emotional intelligence, we inadvertently improve our own communication skills. We work harder to ensure every word is just right, every sentence is clear, and every request is unmistakably understood.
In a way, AI is teaching us the value of clear communication, not because it’s trying to, but because it leaves us no choice. We have to be precise, patient, and thorough, and these habits inevitably spill over into our human interactions. We start thinking more about how we communicate with each other, ensuring our words are well-chosen, our meaning is clear, and our context is provided.
This isn’t just about getting better at talking to machines, though. It’s about becoming better communicators in general. We’re learning how to be more effective in our interactions with people—whether it’s at work, with family, or even with strangers. We’re developing skills that make us more empathetic, more patient, and more understanding, all because we’re forced to adapt to the limitations of AI.
Take, for instance, the concept of active listening. In human conversations, active listening involves truly paying attention to what the other person is saying, asking clarifying questions, and responding in a way that shows you’ve understood. With AI, we’re forced to engage in a similar process, but in reverse. We have to anticipate the AI’s limitations and tailor our communication to ensure it understands us. This requires a level of awareness and intentionality that many of us aren’t used to in our everyday conversations.
Then there’s the issue of patience. Dealing with AI can be frustrating—just ask anyone who’s ever been stuck in an endless loop of “ask another question” responses. But this frustration can also be a teacher. It forces us to slow down, to think more carefully about what we’re trying to communicate, and to approach the interaction with a level of patience that we might not otherwise practice. Over time, this patience can translate into our interactions with people, helping us to be more understanding and less reactive.
And what about empathy? AI, as we know, doesn’t have emotions. It doesn’t care if you’re frustrated or angry or sad. But in our interactions with it, we’re learning to put ourselves in the shoes of the person on the other end of the conversation—whether that’s a customer service agent, a coworker, or even a friend. We’re learning to communicate in a way that’s clear, concise, and considerate, taking into account the limitations of the other party, whether they’re human or machine.
So, while AI may never understand what it means to feel or even why we’re so desperate for a response, it’s still making us better at expressing ourselves. It’s teaching us to be more deliberate, more thoughtful, and more patient in our communication. And in the end, perhaps the most surprising thing about AI is that even though it has no heart, no soul, it’s making us better at connecting with each other—one clear, well-structured sentence at a time.
But the implications of AI on our communication skills don’t stop there. As we continue to interact with AI, we’re also developing a greater awareness of the power of language. Words have always had the power to shape our reality, to influence others, and to create connections. But in our interactions with AI, this power becomes even more apparent.
For example, consider the impact of tone. In human conversations, tone plays a crucial role in how our words are received. A simple statement can be interpreted in vastly different ways depending on the tone in which it’s delivered. But AI, as we know, doesn’t pick up on tone. It responds solely to the words we use, not the way we say them. This forces us to be more mindful of our language, to choose our words carefully, and to be intentional about the message we’re trying to convey.
This heightened awareness of language can have a profound impact on our interactions with others. We start to think more critically about the words we use, the way we structure our sentences, and the impact our language has on the people around us. We become more intentional communicators, more aware of the power of our words, and more skilled at using language to create meaningful connections.
And as we become more skilled communicators, we also become more confident in our ability to express ourselves. This confidence can spill over into all areas of our lives, helping us to navigate difficult conversations, to advocate for ourselves more effectively, and to build stronger relationships with the people around us.
In the end, the impact of AI on our communication skills is both surprising and profound.
While AI may never fully understand the nuances of human communication, it’s pushing us to be better communicators in ways that we might not have expected. It’s teaching us to be more deliberate, more thoughtful, and more patient in our interactions with others. It’s helping us to develop greater empathy, to be more mindful of our language, and to build stronger connections with the people around us.
So, as we continue to interact with AI, let’s embrace the opportunity to learn from it. Let’s use these interactions as a chance to sharpen our communication skills, to become better listeners, and to connect more deeply with the people in our lives. Because in the end, the most important lesson AI can teach us is not about technology—it’s about being better humans.