AI to enhance soft skills
Artificial intelligence for human decision making
“The organizations of the future are built with human decisions based on smart data.” – Daniel Mafla
This is how Daniel Mafla, mentor and disseminator in innovation and technology, opened the meeting, moderator of the webinar “AI to enhance soft skills” which was a conversation in which he asked: how to move from speech to action in the development of talent when we talk about soft skills?
On April 24, Human AI brought together three industry leaders to talk about what is already working in real companies: Eliana Garcia, Partner at Mentha Executive Search, Alex Uriarte, Chief People Officer at IED and Teresa Ochoa, General Manager of CRAIT.
For an hour, they shared how they are evaluating, developing and making strategic decisions based on socioemotional competencies, with the help of artificial intelligence.
Empathy, leadership, emotional self-regulation, collaboration… The so-called soft skills are not optional. They are at the heart of talent and performance. But they remain, in many cases, the least managed.
Soft skills: are not soft, but decisive
“We’re going to have to give it another nomenclature. Soft skills are hard: they are the key to success.” —Eliana García
All three speakers agreed on one premise: leadership, listening, learnability and teamwork are not optional. They are the core of any talent decision. In Eliana’s words, “knowledge is essential, but what differentiates us is how we relate and how we lead”.
From talent attraction to retention, soft skills are today the basis of performance and real competitive advantage. Alex Uriarte calls them “superpowers”. At IED, these competencies are not an extra, but part of the DNA of each job.
“We don’t call them soft. We call them strategic competencies. And they are common to all job descriptions.”—Álex Uriarte
What does not appear on the curriculum
Eliana opened the conversation with a clear statement: soft skills are increasingly valuable. And it is becoming more and more difficult to demonstrate them.
One of the great lessons learned from the webinar was this: you can’t develop what you don’t name, nor measure what you don’t understand.
“Everyone says they know how to work in a team. But what does it really mean – do we have evidence?”—Eliana Garcia
“We used to evaluate with fear. Now it’s a tool for growth. We know our people better and we decide better.” —Teresa Ochoa
Changing the internal culture starts by changing the conversation. By building a common language that allows naming, valuing and monitoring human competencies.
In selection processes, technical knowledge is no longer enough. Qualities such as empathy, motivation, listening and flexibility are sought after. However, these skills are not easily detected.
One of the big challenges for the industry is to find more reliable and objective ways of detecting the invisible: deep motivations, emotional competencies, the authenticity of a profile. In her work with Human AI Tech, Eliana has found a tool that allows her to do just that: evaluate without bias, generate evidence, and enrich feedback.
“Today we have the ability to diagnose, evidence and measure. It’s not science fiction: it’s strategic talent management.”—Eliana Garcia
How are they measured? With data, not assumptions
From IED, Alex Uriarte shared how they have integrated strategic competencies to each job description and how they analyze projects instead of people to detect real behaviors.
“Everyone says they work well in a team. The challenge is in objectifying that perception.”—Álex Uriarte
Talking about “superpowers” and translating emotional concepts into strategic decisions has been key to aligning culture and results. For him, the key is to combine data with soul, to make better decisions without losing sight of the human aspect.
“AI doesn’t dehumanize. It’s an exoskeleton that empowers our function.”—Álex Uriarte
AI and language to evaluate deeply
Artificial intelligence can be an ally to humanize processes. This was one of the most powerful ideas that ran through the conversation.
“Talent development is not imposed. It is built with active listening and personalization.”—Álex Uriarte
And to listen well, we need tools to help us understand people better. At this point, psycholinguistic analysis allows us to go beyond intuition and generate data that complement direct observation. Data that speak of emotions, communicative styles, levels of reflection and other key indicators of soft skills.
From Ecuador, Teresa Ochoa explained how artificial intelligence has allowed them to detect generational gaps, get to know each person better and build a culture aligned with the strategy:
“The challenge is not just to capture talent. It’s keeping it and making it grow.”—Teresa Ochoa
What does AI add to people management?
“AI doesn’t dehumanize. It’s an exoskeleton that empowers our function.”—Álex Uriarte, Chief People Officer, IED
Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant promise: it is a concrete tool that makes it possible to evaluate competencies with objectivity, rigor and continuity, without relying solely on perceptions or traditional tests.
In the words of Álex Uriarte, “it is like going from touching a forehead… to having a thermometer”. A technology that does not replace human judgment, but complements it with reliable data.
What does AI add when applied to people?
- Evaluate without invasive tests
Through natural language analysis, Human AI detects socioemotional competencies accurately, without the need for traditional tests. - Fast and objective diagnosis
With an accuracy rate of more than 85%, the tool generates real-time reports that provide insight into strengths, risks and areas for improvement. - Personalized development plans
AI identifies the potential and specific needs of each person, allowing the construction of personalized and measurable itineraries. - Continuous follow-up, not ad-hoc
It replaces the classic annual appraisal with continuous evidence-based monitoring, adjusting management in real time. - Reduction of risks in times of critical decisions
From selection to promotion, AI minimizes bias and provides a second layer of analysis that strengthens strategic decision-making. - Time and resource saving
Previously complex, lengthy or subjective processes are now completed in minutes, freeing up time for what really matters: accompanying people.
“The challenge is not just to capture talent. It’s keeping it and making it grow.”—Teresa Ochoa, General Manager, CRAIT
The future: figures with soul, technology with purpose
“The talent of the future will not be technical or human. It will be hybrid.”—Álex Uriarte
This meeting has made it clear that this is not a choice between technology or people. It is about technology for people.
For the three speakers, the challenge is no longer technological. It is strategic and cultural. It is about moving from “we should…” to “we are already doing”. And doing it with artificial intelligence does not mean replacing the human, but having more tools to enhance it.
Social-emotional competencies are not an extra, nor a decoration. They are what make us adaptable, creative, collaborative. And measuring them well is not only a challenge: it is a responsibility.
“AI makes us more efficient to spend real time on what counts: people.”—Teresa Ochoa
At Human AI Tech we believe that the future of talent is built from the combination of data, experience and active listening. This webinar has been a concrete demonstration that it is possible. A demonstration that it is possible to evaluate and develop soft skills in an objective, continuous and personalized way. And that doing so is not only possible, it is necessary.
Because talent is not managed by intuition. It is nurtured, measured and enhanced. And today, AI gives us the data, the focus and the time to put people at the center.
Do you want to integrate this technology into your talent strategy?
Request a demo with Human AI now.
