Get face-to-face to avoid the 'Gen Z stare'

As AI drives our working days down an ever-deeper digital rabbit hole, making time to get face-to-face will help us all avoid getting caught in the headlights of progress.

You’ve probably heard people joking recently about the Gen-Z Stare – a half-jokey phrase to describe the supposedly blank look some younger people are said to have in social interactions, after growing up communicating more through screens than face-to-face.

Whether the stereotype is fair or not, it does raise an interesting question for the rest of us.

As artificial intelligence becomes part of everyday working life, more and more people are spending a greater proportion of their days working alone in home offices, typing prompts, staring at their screens that stare joylessly back.

The irony is that, just as technology gets better at doing many of the technical parts of our jobs, the human side of business is becoming even more valuable.

AI can help write reports, analyse data and answer questions in seconds. But it can’t build genuine trust over lunch. It can’t read a room. It can’t spot when someone needs introducing to the right person or recognise the enthusiasm in someone’s voice when they talk about their business.

That’s why networking matters more than ever. Business has always been, and probably always will be, built on relationships. So, as AI takes on an increasing number of our technical tasks, the businesses that succeed will be the ones with the strongest people skills. After all, relationships are what make the world go round.

Who’s up for lunch?