As AI spreads across the enterprise, most companies still orbit around the same themes: speed, efficiency, automation, and technical fluency. At Goldman Sachs, the Global Head of Human Capital Management, Jacqueline Arthur, sees the future with more nuance. The bigger AI gets, the more decisive the enduring human skills will become.
“I think the most successful professionals will be the ones who can blend AI capabilities with their own human insight, and who can use critical thinking to push the boundaries of what’s possible,” Arthur told me.
That idea is already shaping how Goldman Sachs thinks about talent development. As Arthur put it, “Even in our AI training, we’re reinforcing the importance of human judgment, transparency, and oversight. We’re underscoring that strong human skills remain essential as the technology evolves.”
Across more than 40 interviews with L&D leaders, nearly every leader has pointed out the importance of training human skills in the AI Era. A handful have mentioned the importance of combining human skills with AI skills. But none, at least up until Arthur, have spoken about training human skills as a core component of their AI training.
Unlike other companies, Goldman Sachs isn’t treating emotional intelligence as a side conversation to AI adoption. Instead, they’re treating these EQ skills—judgment, transparency, oversight, and relationship skills—as part of how they use AI.
EQ Isn’t a Counterweight to AI, It’s a Force Multiplier
Arthur’s argument starts with a simple premise: AI fluency matters, but it’s not the final differentiator. “Relationship skills are going to be as important, if not more important, in this AI-enabled world,” she said. “The foundational value that’s always been true about Goldman Sachs is that our people are our most important asset. We’re a people-led, client-first organization.”
Goldman Sachs places a lot of intention and power behind AI, too. “AI fluency is becoming increasingly important in our organization. The intelligence as a commodity is valuable, and we’ve deployed AI to remove friction and speed up work,” Arthur explained. “Ultimately, AI should create capacity for our people to spend more time on the human parts of their roles, on that human partnership between colleagues and with clients, and on solving complex problems.”
Then she made her larger point: “I think the more powerful this technology becomes, the more decisive the human layer is. Emotional intelligence isn’t a counterweight to AI. It’s a force multiplier.”
AI Natives Already See What AI Can’t Replace
One of the strongest arguments for Arthur’s position comes from Goldman Sachs’ youngest talent, their interns. Each year, Goldman Sachs conducts a survey on how their interns view the world. The most recent survey asked which skills will be the most irreplaceable with the rise of AI.
The numbers are telling: 66% of interns identified EQ as the most irreplaceable skill, followed by leadership and influence at 48%, and critical thinking at 37%.
Arthur’s interpretation is that AI natives can see beyond the tools to the kind of environment that enables people plus AI to thrive. “I think these AI natives understand that AI can process the information, but it can’t build trust, it can’t navigate nuance, and it can’t lead people through complexity,” she said.
Goldman Sachs Is Training EQ Alongside AI Fluency
Arthur isn’t simply making a philosophical case for human skills supporting tech adoption. She’s describing her organization’s deliberate approach to development. “Even in our AI training, we’re reinforcing the importance of human judgment, transparency, and oversight,” she said. In addition to incorporating EQ skills directly into AI training, they offer extensive EQ skills development for individual contributors and managers.
Goldman Sachs offers structured learning experiences to intentionally develop emotional intelligence, relationship skills, and resilience as interconnected capabilities. The goal of these training programs is to help their people build essential skills like self-awareness, stress management, and the ability to work effectively with others in a high-performance environment.
Arthur’s point is clear. Emotional intelligence skills aren’t “downstream” from AI fluency. They’re part of it.
EQ Is the ‘Operating System of Sustainable Performance’
In a world where tech evolves on a monthly basis and roles are constantly reshaped, pressure on employees and leaders may be higher than ever. In this kind of environment, social-emotional skills will help Goldman Sachs’ people to practice self-care, network and collaborate more effectively, and sustain their performance through a time of uncertainty and change. As Arthur put it, “Emotional intelligence isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s an operating system of sustainable performance.”
“As AI accelerates and automates more analytical work, access to knowledge becomes increasingly commoditized,” she added. “What remains scarce and valuable is judgment, trust, and the ability to align people in moments of uncertainty. Which means emotional intelligence is the secret sauce.”
