Building human connection to create value in the AI era
Building human connection to create value in the AI era
https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/06/human-connection-more-valuable-age-of-ai/
Publish Date: 2026-06-18 08:38:00
Source Domain: www.weforum.org
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reducing the cost of creating content, code, and analysis, potentially shifting the focus from digital output to trusted human connections as a more important source of economic value.
- Business leaders are advised to treat communities and trusted networks as strategic infrastructure instead of non-essential “soft assets” due to their increasing value in an AI-driven economy.
- The World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions emphasizes scaling impactful ideas related to AI, highlighting the importance of in-person gatherings that foster human connections.
- In an era where AI makes information and analysis abundant, credible and trusted human relationships may become scarce and thus more valuable, offering a paradoxical shift in economic focus.
- Trust, which develops through repeated human interactions, is crucial in decision-making amidst a flood of synthetic digital content, thereby enhancing decision-making and reducing uncertainty.
- Established tech firms are investing in developer conferences, customer communities, and ecosystem-building to foster real-world relationships, acknowledging the competitive advantage of convening people around shared goals.
- There is a dual opportunity and risk with expanding access to trusted networks, as closed communities could limit the broad benefits of AI-enabled abundance, whereas open pathways can promote social cohesion and innovation.
- Business leaders should:
- Treat trust as infrastructure by building and maintaining communities of various stakeholders for knowledge sharing and norm establishment.
- Design networks aiming for access rather than exclusivity to promote broader benefits and inclusivity for underrepresented groups.
- Measure community-building activities as strategic assets, tracking participation and trust to recognize their increasing importance in competitive advantage in the AI era.
