AI and Human Connection: Make Time for What Matters

You can spend all day communicating and still miss the kind of conversation where someone feels seen.

That’s what I want us to think about when we talk about AI and human connection. I believe we should learn to use AI well while making intentional time for the people in our lives. Both deserve our attention.

I’ve used AI every day, and it’s made a significant difference in my business. I want to keep learning what it can do and how to use it wisely.

I also want us to pay attention to who we’re becoming as we use it. Are we making room for meaningful relationships? Are the people closest to us getting our presence?

Here’s a small place to start: give one person about 15 minutes of your undivided attention today.

Learn the technology and practice connection

If you run a business or work with other people, developing your AI skills makes sense. There are tools that may help you solve problems and improve how you work.

Imagine a competing business that uses technology effectively and also makes its customers feel understood. That combination deserves our attention.

Darren Hardy has emphasized this combination in teaching I’ve heard from him: develop your ability to use technology while continuing to invest in meaningful human connection. That idea has stayed with me.

We can practice both. We can learn a new tool and become better listeners. We can improve a process and give someone our full attention.

Growth in one area shouldn’t become an excuse to neglect another.

Being connected through a device is only the beginning

I’ve put it this way: “Technology connects devices, but not our souls.”

Technology can introduce us to people and help us stay in touch across distance. What matters is what we bring to the interaction: attention, honesty, care, and a willingness to listen.

Think about a conversation where someone keeps checking their phone. You may be sitting right beside them, but it’s hard to feel that they’re with you.

Now imagine that same person setting the phone aside, listening carefully, and staying with what you’re sharing.

That’s the kind of presence I’m asking us to practice.

Social connection also deserves attention beyond our personal preferences. The U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 advisory on loneliness and isolation identifies social disconnection as a significant public health concern and describes the importance of relationships and community to well-being.

We don’t have to wait until we feel deeply isolated to make connection a priority.

AI companionship calls for perspective

I understand the appeal of a conversation that feels comfortable and readily available. I’m not a psychologist, and I haven’t personally used AI for companionship or therapy. I do believe there can be useful applications when we approach them with discernment.

The research deserves that same care. A 2025 collaboration between OpenAI and MIT Media Lab found mixed effects on emotional well-being, with outcomes varying by how people used ChatGPT and their circumstances. The researchers cautioned against broad generalizations.

My concern is what we might stop practicing if comfortable interactions with AI become our default.

Human relationships involve another person’s needs, perspective, and choices. We have opportunities to listen, respond, take responsibility, and let ourselves be known.

There’s vulnerability in that. Someone can see that we’re struggling or that we don’t have everything figured out. And when they continue to care, their acceptance means something.

I want us to keep making room for those experiences.

Give someone 1% of your day

One percent of a day is 14 minutes and 24 seconds. Round it to 15 minutes, and you have a manageable challenge.

It won’t solve every relationship difficulty or erase loneliness. It gives you one concrete way to practice showing up.

Choose one person

Think of someone you could connect with today: a family member, friend, coworker, or neighbor.

Make a specific invitation. A short walk, a cup of coffee, or an unhurried conversation is enough to begin.

Set distractions aside

Put the phone away. Close the other tabs. Give the person your attention.

If distance means you’re talking by phone or video, let that conversation have your focus.

Listen with care

Give them room to tell you what’s happening in their life. Stay curious. You don’t have to rush toward advice or have the perfect response.

Let your attention communicate that you see them, care about them, and want to understand.

Let yourself participate, too

Meaningful connection gives both people room to be known. Share honestly, at a level that fits the relationship, and allow someone else to show up for you.

Use your growth to serve someone

In The REAL FIT Life, FIT stands for Forever Intentionally Training Our Growth to Serve Others.

That purpose matters here. As we become more capable, we have an opportunity to become more available and attentive to the people around us.

Keep learning. Keep developing your skills. And today, choose one person who will receive your focused attention.

One person. About 15 minutes. One more rep in becoming someone who shows up.