The Future of Human-AI Synergy in Emotional Intelligence
On 19 June 2025, VLAN Asia hosted another thought-provoking edition of Tribal Monthly — this time tackling the nuanced intersection of AI and emotional intelligence. While most conversations about AI focus on automation and scale, we chose to explore something different:
Can AI ever understand us emotionally — or does it simply interpret our data?
Held at Co-Labs Coworking, The Starling Plus, this closed-door discussion brought together leaders from tech, education, insurance, creative media, and customer experience. Their common thread? Each one is navigating AI in their own lane — with both caution and curiosity.
From Buzzword to Believability
AI has become one of the most overused words in our industry. Ghobinath Manoharan of AIA Digital+ said it plainly:
“AI is a buzzword. But it also makes you learn — if you let it.”
Ghobinath, having transitioned from outsourcing to digital insurance, reflected on how AI is helping his team improve customer access to policies, even while grappling with uncertainty about long-term direction. For him, the key lies in upskilling and articulation — using AI not to replace thought, but to enhance it.
Intelligence with Intention
The discussion also revealed how emotional intelligence isn’t just human — it’s a human responsibility to design AI that respects emotion. From customer service to esports, AI is starting to mimic behavior, but it can’t replicate intent or feeling.
In esports, Jack highlighted how AI now takes over when players disconnect mid-game. It plays based on your previous style. But here’s the catch: while it plays like you, it doesn’t care if it wins.
That’s where humans are still ahead — not just in skill, but in emotional stakes.
Meanwhile, in corporate environments, Rakesh Mohan shared how voice bots are used in real estate, yet people still recognize they’re talking to a machine. That awareness impacts trust. Emotional context isn’t optional — it’s everything.
Education, Empathy & the AI Divide
One of the day’s most striking contrasts came from education.
Yang Uei Aw recounted how his daughter was wrongly flagged for AI-generated work — a clear example of the system punishing rather than preparing students for AI.
In contrast, Amir Rayyan Faiz from Fedelis described how tools like Copilot are already embedded in Microsoft Teams for classrooms, helping students improve reading, speaking, and comprehension.
The takeaway? AI’s impact on empathy starts in how we teach it and how we teach with it. If schools approach AI as a threat, they risk producing a generation that fears innovation. But with the right guidance, AI becomes a bridge — not a barrier.
The Human Instinct to Validate
Goh Ying Hooi, a creative professional, reminded us that trust is built through validation, not just visibility. Whether it’s a testimonial video or an AI-generated clip, what matters is how we as humans perceive it — and what we choose to believe.
“Even when AI creates content, it’s still our job to validate. That instinct — to test, to feel — is what keeps us human.”
Real-World Complexity
AI doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Speakers like Ghobinath Manoharan and Surindren Manickam spoke to the operational and cultural shifts that AI brings into the workplace. From insurance platforms to internal sales tools, the challenge isn’t deploying AI — it’s ensuring it lands in environments ready to adopt it.
Surindren also raised a thought-provoking concern:
“Does speed lead to stagnation? Are we burning out faster in this era of instant creation?”
His worry wasn’t just about technology, but about motivation in the age of automation. When tools become too powerful, too fast — do humans disengage?
What’s Next?
Human-AI synergy isn’t just about smoother workflows or faster emails. It’s about asking:
How do we build tools that think with us — not just for us?
From school systems to sales funnels, emotional intelligence can’t be an afterthought in AI design. It must be the foundation.
And that’s the future VLAN Asia continues to explore — not just smarter technology, but smarter, more empathetic interactions.