The redemption of emotional intelligence. Brands put empathy back at the centre

So much for August tranquillity. This year, the summer nights in one of the most residential neighbourhoods of the San Francisco Bay Area harbour area have been much mourned by hundreds of self-driving taxis honking in unison. In the dock came Waymo, a company of the Alphabet group. As a matter of fact, when these hi-tech cars reached their overnight depot, they would go haywire and start honking madly. A software defect in the robotaxis, the company pointed out, only finding a solution weeks later and apologising to the entire neighbourhood via social media and live, distributing coffee and pastries. The challenge between humans and humanoids was fought in a tam-tam on social media and on TV, with links and live broadcasts on the Nbc channel. Before becoming mainstream, however, the denunciation came from other screens, namely those of smartphones. Because the inhabitants of the neighbourhood started to spread videos on social networks, generating potential reputational damage to the company. A scene that reminded many of 'A World Behind You', a film released on Netflix starring Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke: in an apocalyptic scene, the two actors find themselves stranded in a street by a row of electric cars that have run into each other as if mad.

Here is the no-holds-barred (social) challenge between people and robots in that digital battlefield that generates continuous conversations. A confrontation that follows a period of strong acceleration also with respect to the potential and risks associated with artificial intelligence, particularly generative intelligence. It almost seems as if reflections on technological developments are no longer enough. What is happening as a reflection also in marketing is an awareness of the value of the empathic, compassionate relationship. A reflection that is played out in a phase of strong evolution of robots, which try to imitate human interaction by trying to match it in listening and emotions. Thus humanoids are multiplying, no longer robots and not yet humans in that hybrid land that smacks of continuous experimentation. "Generative artificial intelligence is accelerating the development of human-like robots": this is how the American Cnbs headlined a few days ago, reporting on the new era of social robots. But the conundrum for marketers is easily solved, at least for now: while humanising the machine, the human touch is essential in positioning strategies and business choices. The trump card is emotional intelligence, after the media binge on artificial intelligence. "Human relations, empathy, personalisation have long been at the centre of marketing and communication strategies. The emphasis on emotional intelligence is not a reaction to the rise of artificial intelligence, but rather the natural culmination of an evolutionary process in the way the relationship between companies and consumers is conceived. A process that has been underway for some time. The real challenge for marketing will be to understand that AI is not an antagonist in this process, but a powerful ally because - as recent scientific studies show - it can help companies provide even more empathetic responses than those formulated by humans,' says Stefania Romenti, professor of strategic communication at Iulm University. This is also what the Harvard Business Review suggests in a dossier that highlights the evolution of customer services as an addition and not a replacement. And that addition ties in with a concept that is emerging in the new frontiers of robotics, namely the humanlike approach.

But beware. One cannot generalise and it is improper to assume that we are facing a return towards value-added services offered with human rather than artificial consulting actions. "The process of using Ia is not manifesting itself homogeneously in all sectors, as has been the case for every technological innovation. For instance, luxury, traditionally very attentive to technological development, has made huge investments in the metaverse, but seems to be very cautious in adopting generative AI. This is because exclusivity and personalised relationship care are crucial for this sector. Similar cautious strategies are also being seen in healthcare and financial advisory services,' Romenti points out. Once again, the grafting of technology into marketing strategies is a very complex operation. Also because that treasure trove of value linked to the human component is still relevant. "The next challenge for generative artificial intelligence is to understand how to make the interactions between man and machine empathetic. Think of OpenAI's recent request to give ChatGPT the voice of actress Scarlett Johansson. Japanese studies on robotic companion animals for the elderly in the early 2000s offer interesting insights. In the beginning, a robot dog was created, but people could not get attached to it because, as the dog was a well-known animal, there were relational expectations that the machine could not fulfil. From there they decided to create a robot seal and this proved to be more effective. Finding solutions that foster the development of trusting relationships between man and machine will be an interesting area of collaboration between marketing and artificial intelligence in the coming times. Of course, without neglecting the related ethical implications,' Romenti concludes. Once again, trust becomes a thermometer of the evolution of this complicated man-machine relationship.