I just returned from Ai4, the largest Ai trade show in North America.

Everywhere I looked, the AI conversation tilted toward what machines can do. Generate copy. Write code. Answer emails. And sure, that’s impressive. But the obvious truth to me is this: the more AI shows up in daily life, the more human skills rise in value.

I’m not just talking about craftsmanship and manual labor, though those matter more than ever. I mean interpersonal skills—the stuff that machines still can’t fake: persuasion, charisma, rapport-building, negotiation.

AI can simulate a conversation. But it can’t truly care. It can’t walk into a room and read the energy. It can’t look you in the eye and make you believe. That’s still human turf.

At Reflekta, I see this contrast daily. Families use our platform to reconnect with a loved one through digital Elders. The AI is strong—it can recall memories, carry context, even use familiar turns of phrase. But what makes the experience powerful isn’t the model. It’s the human who chose which stories to upload, who framed the questions, who guides the conversation. The technology supports, but the connection comes from human judgment and taste.

Think about persuasion. AI can flood an inbox with pitches, but it takes a human voice to make someone lean in. Or negotiation: AI might prep scenarios, but at the table, it’s rapport and timing that shift the outcome. Even charisma—the ineffable quality that makes someone follow you—that can’t be bottled by code.

The lesson for me is simple: let AI automate the typing, the tabulating, the tedious. Then double down on being more human. If machines can “do,” we have to excel at “connect.”

It reminds me of a line I keep close: electricity is cheap; conviction isn’t. AI might give us more electricity than we know what to do with. But the conviction—the judgment about what’s worth saying, doing, or fighting for—still rests with us.

That’s where the real work will be. And that’s the work worth doing.

About the Author

Miles Spencer is a multi-exit founder, investor, and storyteller. His work at the intersection of memory and technology is rooted in personal experience and a deep belief in legacy.