Tech companies have spent years building their leadership on one idea: that mastering the “hard” side is enough to lead a team. But with AI accelerating every decision, every delivery, and every change, the cracks—which were already there—are coming to light, confirming that technical expertise doesn’t always equate to effective leadership.

In this talk, Pat draws on her experience building HR departments from scratch within tech companies to pose an uncomfortable question: Are we investing in AI tools without investing in the human conversation needed to make it all work?

AI will do many things better than we do. But humanistic leadership will be key so that, the more technologically advanced we become, the more added value we can offer through it.