Wellbeing Digest – June 2025

Hello, and welcome to the first edition of Wellbeing Digest, in which Fire on the Hill explores the evolving world of workplace wellbeing, mental health and the future of work. This month, we’re diving into a timely question: What is the value of human skill in a world increasingly shaped by machines?

Why soft skills still matter in a world of artificial intelligence

I recently learned about a feature in Artificial Intelligence (AI) language models that enables users to adjust the system’s “temperature”. This lets you to control how creative or predictable the output will be. A lower temperature can lead to more deterministic outputs – if you were to type ‘Once upon…’, the response would always be ‘a time’. In contrast, higher temperatures lead to more varied and unpredictable responses.

This tool is designed to help tailor AI outputs to different needs. A low temperature is ideal for consistent, fact-based writing. While a higher setting is better for concept generation or creative tasks. In short, AI can now be made more or less ‘creative’ on command.

With this ability, the range of tasks chatbots are able to accomplish is growing. Recently, I’ve had several conversations with friends who have told me that they use ChatGPT as an unofficial therapist, for example. They praised it for its balanced and insightful answers. I tried it – anonymously – myself and will admit that some of the responses were genuinely useful.

Not only is ChatGPT coming for your job, it’s also a creative genius and a thoughtful counsellor. It’s beginning to encroach on territory that was previously considered the exclusive domain of humans. For decades, people have been concerned that technology would replace jobs. Today, this concern persists, but we must also consider how AI will fundamentally alter the nature of work.

What impact will these advancements in AI innovation have on the communications sector? Will a sense of humanity, connection, humor and nuance gradually disappear from our workplace interactions and communications, being replaced by something sanitized, soulless and clichéd? Time will tell.

What the research tells us…

Last week, Fire on the Hill hosted a panel discussion on the future of corporate communications. One panelist offered a brilliant provocation: his organization had made a checklist of all the things AI does badly, and decided to double down on helping human teams perform those tasks personally. The message was a logical one: don’t compete where machines are strong. Invest in training and talent where humans lead.

This was echoed in our latest The Voice of the Chief Communications Officer research, where we asked over 200 comms leaders in the US and UK about how they see the industry changing in an era defined by rapid technological change. When asked for bold predictions about the future of corporate communications, many respondents described a wave of automation that would free up time, personalize outputs and even help draft strategic messaging.

However, several respondents foresaw such gains could come at a cost. An over-reliance on AI could homogenize brand messaging, making it feel generic and bland, with diminishing opportunities for human creativity to cut through. Some comms leaders described AI as a valuable assistant, an outcome-based teammate, but not a decision-maker. They recognized the growing importance of skills that AI can’t replicate, such as ethical oversight, strategic judgment and emotional intelligence.

Equally interesting were the answers to a follow-up question, which asked what skills will be most important for the next generation of comms leaders. Respondents called for a balance of human and technical capability. AI fluency and data literacy are essential, but also empathy, cultural awareness and critical thinking. We need people who can read a room and a dashboard.

What skills will survive?

The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 also reflects a need for a hybrid approach. The most important professional capabilities in the next five years will be a blend of the technical and the human, the research finds. Among the skills projected to grow most rapidly by 2030 are creative thinking, resilience, flexibility and technological literacy, alongside empathy, active listening and leadership.

These findings provide a roadmap for workplace wellbeing. It’s no coincidence that environments where soft skills are prioritized are also ones where people report better mental health, stronger connections and greater resilience. There is also a strong business case here, since soft skills are equally important for business continuity and growth.

In a post-truth world, communicators will look to position brands with ethics and authenticity in mind so that they and build trust, lead through change and connect with diverse audiences. This will be increasingly essential not just for wellbeing, but for navigating misinformation, stakeholder complexity and the reputational risks that come with algorithm-driven comms.

Image: Unsplash / Marek Levák