 Emotional and artificial intelligence (AI): the “Humachine”Nada R. Sanders Chapter 13 in Research Handbook on Emotional Intelligence at Work, 2026, pp 273-290 from Edward Elgar Publishing Abstract: The November 2022 launch of ChatGPT collided with a world emerging from the COVID-19 “new normal,” creating a defining technological moment. As the pandemic exposed societal and economic fragilities, generative artificial intelligence (AI) arrived as what was called a “printing press moment,” shifting AI from hidden infrastructure to direct human collaboration. Unlike earlier “traditional AI,” generative models invite everyday users to co-create with machines, driving the fastest technology adoption in history. Yet while AI excels at pattern recognition and automation, it lacks emotional intelligence (EI)—the human capacity to perceive, interpret, and manage emotion. In the future of work, EI will become a critical complement to machine intelligence, enabling empathy, leadership, and nuanced communication that technology cannot replicate. This chapter, drawing on research and executive interviews, argues that organizations integrating human-centered values with AI capabilities—the “Humachine”—will unlock innovation and thrive in an AI-driven economy. Keywords: Generative Artificial Intelligence; AI; Emotional Intelligence; EI; Future of Work; Human; Machine Collaboration; Technological Transformation; AI-Driven Economy (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:elg:eechap:23315_13 Ordering information: This item can be ordered from Access Statistics for this chapter More chapters in Chapters from Edward Elgar Publishing |
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