Bridging AI and Human Connection: What’s Possible for Internal Communication?

If AI were in the room with us today, what role would it play?

At a recent roundtable in The Hague, hosted by IABC EMENA, I posed this question to a group of seasoned communication and change professionals. Their initial responses were what you might expect: AI would be a transcriber, an assistant, a tool that does what we tell it to do.

But here’s the reality: AI capabilities double every three months. By the end of 2026, it’s reasonable to expect AI to be more than a passive observer. What if AI were to be a participant in the room? The customer? The devil’s advocate? What expert do you need?

That shift in thinking, from viewing AI merely as a tool to recognizing it as an active force in decision-making, collaboration, and influence, is something internal communication professionals should start considering now so they’re prepared to lead the conversation as AI’s role evolves.

With so many competing priorities, AI may not seem urgent today. However, how you engage with it now will influence your role in the future. Those who start thinking strategically about AI will be the ones guiding leadership conversations rather than reacting to them.

AI Adoption is Outpacing Leadership Perception

AI is not coming. It’s been here for some time. And employees are adopting it far faster than leaders realize.

• More than 50% of employees globally already use AI tools daily or weekly [Qualtrics, 2024].
• Employees are three times more likely than leaders estimate to use AI for a third or more of their work [McKinsey Superagency Report, 2024].
• 62% of Millennials (aged 35-44) report high AI expertise and are already integrating AI into their workflows [McKinsey, 2024].

Yet many organizations still see AI mainly as a cost-saving, efficiency, and productivity tool, overlooking its potential to enhance leadership, connection, and trust. This gap in perception leads to digital chaos—employees are experimenting while leadership is hesitating.

Internal communication professionals can help bridge this gap. By bringing insights from employees into leadership discussions and working with HR and IT teams, they can ensure AI adoption strengthens alignment instead of creating confusion.

AI as a Strategic Enabler

Too often, AI is framed as a way to produce more at greater speed. But what if AI could help us think more deeply, connect more meaningfully, and lead more effectively?

Consider these possibilities:

• AI-powered sentiment analysis can help leaders gauge employee concerns before making key announcements [Microsoft Work Trend Index, 2023].
• AI-driven personalization can ensure employees receive the right information at the right time, improving engagement [Carnegie Mellon University, 2024].
• In townhalls, AI could analyze sentiment in real-time, identify the most pressing employee questions, and offer insights on how to structure responses for greater engagement (ideas based on Reid Hoffman’s Superagency concept)

The recent meeting of strategic communicators in The Hague

At the roundtable in the Hague—supported by the European Association of Communication Directors and APM Terminals—we examined an intriguing case study from Carnegie Mellon University.

In an experiment involving human-AI hybrid teams, human-only teams (composed of five humans) initially outperformed the hybrid teams (which consisted of three humans and two AIs). However, when unexpected challenges arose, communication within the hybrid teams tripled, demonstrating that AI can serve as a collaborative partner when humans actively engage with it. However, the hybrid team was not as cohesive as the all-human team.

AI’s role in communication is evolving. Internal communication professionals can shape this shift by working with leadership teams to position AI as a strategic enabler of better decision-making and collaboration.

Trust and Ethical AI

With AI’s rapid adoption, ethical concerns are growing. In the EU, the EU AI Act, effective February 2025, mandates AI literacy, transparency, and compliance. Organizations that fail to meet these standards risk fines of up to €35 million or 7% of global turnover [European Commission, 2024].

But beyond compliance, trust is the real issue.

• 71% of employees trust their employers more than governments to develop AI ethically [Edelman Trust Barometer, 2025].
• Only 56% believe their company has clear ethical guidelines on AI [Qualtrics, 2024].
• Employees invited to give feedback on AI decisions are far more likely to trust leadership [Qualtrics, 2024].

If employees don’t understand where AI is being used, why, and how decisions are made, they will fill in the blanks with assumptions, skepticism, or fear. Transparency affects more than compliance. It directly impacts trust.

Internal communication professionals play an important role in making AI understandable and accessible. By helping leaders communicate AI’s role clearly and engaging employees in discussions about ethical guidelines, they can build trust in AI adoption.

Beyond Productivity

Leaders tend to frame AI in terms of productivity and efficiency. But employees see something different:

• 47% want to use AI to improve the quality of their work, not just increase output [Qualtrics, 2024].
• 38% want to engage in new tasks rather than automate old ones [Qualtrics, 2024].
• Only 27% are focused on increasing output [Qualtrics, 2024].

AI shouldn’t be used to drive relentless productivity targets. Instead, it should create space for better work – more meaningful engagement, higher-quality output, and a stronger sense of purpose.

Internal communication professionals can influence how AI is positioned in their organizations. By highlighting AI’s potential to improve work quality and employee engagement, they can help shift the focus from efficiency alone to long-term well-being and sustainable performance.

The Future of Internal Comms: What’s Possible?

This might be crystal balling, but it could be possible. What if, by the end of 2026, AI no longer remains quietly in the background? It might pose tough questions, offer expertise, and challenge our thinking.

Five years from now, internal communication professionals with a deep understanding of AI will shape messaging and business strategy.

The future of internal communication isn’t about defending human connection against AI. It’s about leveraging AI to amplify human connection.

So, the real question isn’t whether AI belongs in your organization. The question is: How will you lead the conversation?