According to a recent study from HR benefits technology company Businessolver, employee’s perceptions of empathy in the workplace might be at an all-time low, with a particular gap between how CEOs and employees perceive the problem.

Empathy is an essential value for any company—one that needs to be championed and at times defended. I expect that maintaining workplace empathy for most companies will become only increasingly harder.

But exploring unlikely solutions may be necessary. Given technology’s ability to affect real-world change, AI might offer the road to greater empathy.

Too often, AI contextualized as a way to replace employees. Instead, it needs to be thought of as a way to help people do an even better job. And studies have shown that poor communication is one of the leading causes of job dissatisfaction. Imagine if AI could solve that by building more empathetic pathways of communication. It could create a much better environment where employees cared for—heard, supported and empowered to do their best work.

A true empathy machine

When individuals’ communication styles clash, it can lead to a contentious working relationship. Empathy, on the other hand, creates a better working environment at every level of an organization.

AI could become an amazing tool in assisting with this. Imagine an AI tool that reads all of your Slack messages and learns your communication style. Imagine that it does this for everyone at the company, from the CEO to entry-level employees.

Eventually, when you message someone who has a different type of communication style, the might say: “This message may not be received well by this person. Would you like to reframe it in a way that may be better interpreted by their communication style?”

This could potentially help transmit the information in a way that prevents a blow-up between employees. This level of automation isn’t there yet, but companies such as Manual are working on it.

Working through HR, AI could also improve working relationships between coworkers by analyzing their communication preferences to help guide more empathetic conversations and partnerships.

Using AI in this way comes with risks. Employees could become overly reliant on it and not develop their own social skills. If you frequently use AI to tell you how to communicate, especially early in your career, you may miss some key interpersonal experiences or lessons that will prove vital later on.

But this same argument could be made of any transformative workplace tool—from computers to the internet to social media. The key will be in finding the right balance, being transparent and focusing on the goal of empathy over business productivity.

Skepticism of this use in the workplace is natural. At first glance, the words “AI'' and “empathy” seem like antonyms because of the way headlines have driven the narrative. So, in order for company leaders to change perceptions and convince employees of the benefits, they’ll need to take several important steps:

Communicate transparently

Have clear conversations with the team about how the company plans to utilize AI and how it will be used to support employees, not replace them. Leaders should also open lines of communication, gathering feedback from their teams and starting a dialog about how they think AI can help.

A big piece of empathy is about feeling like you are being heard, that others understand your wants and needs. Through listening to employees, getting them to weigh in and giving them agency in the process, you will not only get great ideas, but buy-in.

Focus on immediate employee benefits

Don’t start with big, ambitious uses. Initially, use AI for small company tasks that are centered in empathy. For example, to be more empathetic to working parents who can’t work as late in the day, there are great AI meeting integrations that take everything said within a meeting and create notes that can be dispersed for individuals who prefer to catch up on work after the kids go to bed.

Build comfort beyond the workplace

AI’s usefulness doesn’t have to be restricted to work, especially for those who are nervous about using it or simply lack experience. Work with employees to find personal uses for AI that will help build comfort and understanding. For example, I sometimes turn to ChatGPT to suggest how I can be more empathetic with my kids. When my 4-year-old said he was feeling scared at night, I asked ChatGPT for solutions. One suggestion: Make anti-monster spray with him and spray the room before bed. It works great.

While it’s true that AI could be used to further our biases in the same way that software always has, we have the power and responsibility to make sure it’s used in more positive ways. It’s imperative that as AI proliferates, we take steps to steer it in the right direction, and that includes its use in the workplace.

The AI train is coming regardless and sticking your head in the sand is not the answer. Instead, let’s create opportunities for it to reach its potential as a powerful tool for creating a more empathetic future.