When AI meets EI: Building systems that understand people
by Eduan Marais, Senior Consultant
The internet is saturated with talk of artificial intelligence. Every week brings new headlines about what AI can now do faster, smarter, or cheaper than humans.
Amid the noise, it’s worth pausing to ask a different question.
What happens when intelligence is no longer the rarest commodity in the room?
In the age of algorithms, what truly sets us apart is not artificial intelligence, but emotional intelligence. The ability to understand, connect and create meaning remains uniquely human, and becomes more important as technology grows more capable.
At bdna, we exist to improve society. That means ensuring the solutions we design and deliver do not just operate efficiently, but serve people meaningfully.
Intelligence builds systems. Emotional intelligence builds trust.
Emotional intelligence: The human multiplier
Emotional intelligence (EI) is often labelled a “soft skill,” but in practice it is one of the most demanding, and most influential. It underpins strong teams through self-awareness, empathy, communication and adaptability.
In technology, we talk constantly about integration such as platforms, APIs, and data. But the most complex integrations are human. EI is what allows us to connect perspectives, bridge differences, and translate technical complexity into outcomes people can understand and trust.
I’ve seen projects succeed not because the most advanced solution won, but because teams listened, adapted, and aligned around shared purpose.
When diverse stakeholders feel heard, better technical decisions follow.
EI in practice: A public safety implementation
In a recent project spanning two years, bdna was involved in a large-scale public safety technology implementation affecting hundreds of frontline and operational users. The technical complexity was significant, involving multiple systems, strict governance, and high-stakes operational environments. But the real challenge was human.
Adoption depended on trust. Frontline users needed confidence that the system supported their work rather than disrupted it. Leaders needed assurance that change was understood, not imposed. Emotional intelligence played a critical role here, listening to concerns, acknowledging operational realities, and adjusting delivery approaches to meet people where they were, not where a design document assumed they would be.
As the implementation progressed, EI became a success factor rather than a nice-to-have. Clear communication reduced resistance. Empathy shaped training and rollout strategies. Difficult conversations were handled with respect instead of defensiveness. The result was a system that did not just go live, but was accepted, used, and embedded.
The technology worked because the people did.
The bdna way: Improving society starts with people
At bdna, this approach is more than philosophy. It is practice.
We design and deliver technology through human-centred design, grounded in the real, lived experiences of the people who use our systems. We prioritise collaborative architecture, ensuring strong connections between technical teams, operational stakeholders, and client voices. And we maintain ethical awareness, consistently asking not only what technology can do, but what it should do.
bdna’s purpose, We exist to improve society, reminds us that progress is not measured solely in code quality, uptime, or delivery milestones. It is measured in how people’s lives improve as a result of what we build.
That mindset shapes how we lead, collaborate, and listen. Emotional intelligence enables us to navigate complexity with empathy, to have difficult conversations constructively, and to make decisions that balance logic with humanity.
In client partnerships, it helps us look beyond the immediate brief. We are not just delivering systems. We are shaping outcomes that ripple through communities, workplaces, and public services.
That is how society improves: one emotionally intelligent interaction at a time.
The future is both artifical and emotional
The future won’t belong to artificial intelligence alone.
It will belong to emotionally intelligent humans who know how to use AI wisely: As a tool, not a replacement. As technology accelerates, our humanity becomes the compass that keeps progress aligned with purpose.
Emotional intelligence helps us ask better questions, design with care, and define success beyond metrics.
At bdna, we believe the most powerful systems are designed around people.
Intelligence builds systems. Emotional intelligence shapes the world we want to live in.
