Reasons AI won’t beat you at networking
- In terms of B2B and especially sectors like art, tech and games, there are multiple reasons real-life social connections are irreplaceable.
- Used as a complementary tool, AI can enhance industry networking.
As AI becomes a more integral part of everyday life, both on a personal and professional level, it’s tempting to predict social interactions will become scarcer, perhaps even extinct one day.
A growing fear for some - however, there are multiple reasons why this is an unlikely future scenario.
Of course, AI companions will likely supplement our human connections - much as a quality B12 vitamin may supplement our diet. But that’s not to say AI agents will replace genuine human friendships based on trust and loyalty.
Human trust is indefinitely irreplaceable in B2B
Even in the B2B world - where AI agents are increasingly used to automate processes, analyse data, handle communication, and make predictions - real-life networking remains irreplaceable.
Using the games industry as an example, B2B often involves high-stakes investments, long-term partnerships, and shared risks. Such interactions more often than not boil down to trust. Data and processing are AI. Trust is human.
Of course, AI can offer insight on potential leads, but it can’t replace human discernment in terms of shared experiences, body language, and mutual respect - factors that often seal deals. Algorithms don’t replicate handshakes, eye contact, genuine smiles, or a mutually fulfilling conversation.
Yes, humans are flawed by nature, but AI isn’t perfect either. Just as I remind my children not to trust everything they hear on YouTube or read on Wikipedia, I’m now teaching them not to rely on ChatGPT answers blindly.
Changing the colour of Tower Bridge?
A few days ago I asked an AI bot to provide a quirky fact about London. In response it told me a story that Londoners are currently engaged in voting on the future colour of Tower Bridge, which is about to get its new coat of paint for the first time in 12 years. Not able to find any details about this public vote elsewhere, I asked where this fact came from. Turns out, it was completely made up.
For exactly that reason, AI also falls short as a communication mediator for business transactions. Obviously an area in which the technology is advancing rapidly, AI is not yet at par with real time human interaction in terms of intricate negotiations or individually tailored contracts.
An innovation, but not innovative
More broadly, AI is also limited by its predictability. As a result, it’s not as useful as the human mind at sparking unexpected conversations and new ideas that often occur out of the blue at industry events, conferences, and during more casual meetups.
That AI doesn’t wander off the expected track is both a feature and a bug, but more than anything, it’s a clear marker that the spontaneously curious and innovative mind is a human mind.
“ Failure isn't fatal, but failure to change might be ”John Wooden
As for the psychological benefits of social networking, there is vast and convincing research in support of it. An immediately enriching and rewarding source of stimulus, social connections are also proving to prolong the quality of life and lifespan itself. Whereas AI is able to give you a protocol for longevity, it can’t provide the actual ingredients - people.
How AI can enhance industry networking
All that said, to quote highly regarded basketball coach John Wooden, "Failure isn't fatal, but failure to change might be".
New technologies like AI are going to emerge, transforming the way we communicate, learn, do business and make games. Resisting these inevitable tides is futile, at best. At worst, failing to embrace change can cause more serious problems.
Today the technology is widely used to enhance productivity in terms of automating repetitive tasks, analytics and generating insight from massive data sets, but its use cases are expanding quickly.
In terms of networking, AI can help in increasing efficiency by sorting the wheat from the chaff. It can identify the cases aligning with your vision, separating real prospects from stakeholders who are likely a waste of time.
Moreover, like an editor-at-large, AI can help you compile a pitch from loose ideas and sharpen the draft to help you deliver it concisely and compellingly. But there’s no place as optimal to deliver them as Pocket Gamer Connects or similar real-life B2B events and conventions.
Seen as a complement to your existing toolbox, AI isn’t a threat to relationship building, strategic thinking, and creativity, but rather an enhancement to it.