As artificial intelligence assumes more analytical and routine tasks, employers are recognizing a critical gap in human skills such as emotional intelligence, cross-communication, and trust-building. According to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025, employers anticipate that 39% of core skills will evolve by 2030, with leadership and social influence showing the greatest increase in importance, rising by 22 percentage points since 2023. Yet most organizations lack a structured approach to developing these skills.
To address this gap, FeelWise, Minds of Light, and Strike Marketing Institute will co-host the Emotional Skill Gap Summit, a four-day virtual event from September 29 to October 2, 2026. Sessions will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Central Time each day. The summit aims to equip learning and development, HR, and team leaders with research-based frameworks and practical tools to cultivate emotional skills within their teams.
"Companies have a plan for AI adoption. Few have a plan for the skills AI doesn't replace," said Tina Schweiger, founder of FeelWise. "Those skills can be taught and practiced like any other, and these four days show how."
The event features more than 25 speakers, including Russell Scherwin, leadership professor at the University of Georgia and former CMO of IBM Watson Commerce; Dr. Justin James Kennedy, professor of behavioral neuroscience, TEDx speaker, and author; Stephen Busette of Siemens; Robert Gramillano, executive coach and clinical professor at DePaul University; Dr. Charmain Jackman, CEO of InnoPsych; and Drs. Judith and Bob Wright of LiveWright.
Two days of the summit will cover emotional regulation, resilience, human-centered leadership, and workplace culture. Minds of Light Day, led by Executive Director Alison Jones, focuses on neurodivergent perspectives and communication between neurodivergent and neurotypical colleagues. "Neurodivergent people are a growing part of the workforce, and the unwritten emotional rules of most workplaces were not designed for how they communicate," said Jones. "Many spend energy every day decoding tone, masking, and translating between communication styles, on top of the job itself. Rapid change in how work gets done adds to that load. Emotional skills training has to work for every kind of mind."
Emotionally Intelligent AI Day, on October 2, is sponsored by Grand Strategy Consulting and addresses staying emotionally grounded while working alongside AI tools. Speakers that day include Zena Collins, consultant at Grand Strategy Consulting, a MSCEIT 2 emotional intelligence practitioner and author of Stop Wasting Time With AI.
Registration for the summit is $29, priced to allow individuals to attend without a budget approval process, and closes September 29. Attendees can add a donation to Minds of Light or bundle registration with the FeelWise emotional intelligence card deck. Registered attendees will receive recordings of every session. For more information and to register, visit the Emotional Skill Gap Summit registration page.
This summit arrives at a pivotal moment. As AI adoption accelerates, the demand for uniquely human skills will only grow. Organizations that fail to develop these skills risk falling behind in productivity, innovation, and employee well-being. The Emotional Skill Gap Summit offers a timely opportunity for leaders to bridge that gap and prepare their workforce for the future.
