Artificial intelligence is transforming business faster than any industrial shift in history. For small and medium enterprises, it offers extraordinary labour- and mind-saving benefits: automating admin, generating ideas, and freeing up time for strategic thinking.

But amid the excitement, one critical question is often overlooked: can our human intelligence keep up?

We are building faster systems and smarter machines, yet our emotional wiring has barely evolved in 200,000 years. The human brain is still designed for survival, not for collaboration under constant pressure. Our instincts - fight, flight, defend, control - served us well on the savannah, but in today's workplaces they fuel burnout, conflict and poor decision-making.

If we don't grow our emotional intelligence as fast as we grow our technology, we risk creating workplaces full of efficiency but short on empathy. Artificial intelligence could easily give rise to artificial human connection.

The good news is that emotional intelligence isn't a luxury. It's a measurable performance driver, and crucially, it can be learned. Unlike IQ, which is largely fixed by adulthood, EQ (emotional quotient) is adaptable. With practice, people can develop greater self-awareness, empathy and interpersonal skill.

Teams with higher empathy and psychological safety are proven to innovate faster, retain staff longer and handle change more effectively. The skills that make people feel safe enough to speak up complement and enrich the cognitive abilities required to solve problems, collaborate well and think creatively. Emotional intelligence doesn't replace strategic thinking, it enables it.

At the heart of this lies what I call the Human Language: a simple, practical way of communicating that balances honesty with care. It is rooted in Nonviolent Communication, developed by psychologist Dr Marshall B. Rosenberg, and built around four learnable abilities:

• noticing our judgements
• connecting with our feelings
• identifying the needs underneath
• expressing ourselves with authenticity, and listening with empathy

Together, these form the MECAnism, a tool for translating reactive communication into connection.

When leaders practise this language, something remarkable happens. Meetings shift from defensive to collaborative. Feedback becomes dialogue. Teams start listening to understand, not just to reply. People feel safer, clearer and more able to bring their full intelligence - emotional, social and cognitive - to the table.

Businesses that thrive in the AI era will be those that invest equally in both codes: digital and emotional. Technology can process data at light speed, but only humans can build meaning, motivation and belonging. Emotional intelligence is, in essence, the infrastructure of trust.

And trust, as every business owner knows, is the real currency of success. It underpins client loyalty, team retention and reputation. AI can help you find customers, but empathy keeps them.

We stand at a pivotal moment in human history. If we align human wisdom with artificial intelligence, compassion and innovation can progress hand in hand. The companies that recognise this now won't just survive disruption; they'll define what responsible, human-centred leadership looks like in the decade ahead.

Penny Newton-Hurley is a communication trainer, mediator and founder of CommPassion. Having trained with psychologist Dr Marshall B. Rosenberg in Nonviolent Communication, she helps organisations build emotionally intelligent cultures for the AI era.

Learn more at CommPassion  [1]