The Human Touch in a World of Algorithms

We're chasing efficiency like it's the holy grail. But here's what no one's measuring: the quality of our connections.

I see it everywhere in executive search and consulting. AI promises the world—automated screening, global reach, perfect matches. Yet the best leaders I work with mentions to me: human judgment, trust, and real connection can't be coded.

The question isn't whether algorithms will replace recruiters. It's whether our obsession with automation will strip away the empathy and nuance that actually build great teams.

This month, my team at LYC Partners signed our first Enterprise Subscription License for DEX AI. Not because we think AI replaces humans, but because we see it as a tool to amplify what matters most—human flourishing at scale.

What I'm Building Right Now

DEX AI powers LYC Partners and our GEA network. It's not another "AI layer" slapped onto old processes. It's our bet that data, used right, makes talent decisions smarter and borderless.

CVFlow handles the grunt work—screening, mapping, surfacing insights. GEA is the human mesh: peer learning, real wisdom, not just networking. Together, they're an ecosystem.

But here's the thing: every time we made the tech smarter, we risked making the relationships dumber. I've been there—quarterly growth up, user engagement down. More "connections," less actual connection.

When We Failed (And What It Taught Us)

Our first big CVFlow launch bombed. Not because the tech was broken (though it was), but because people didn't trust it. Clients wanted the human touch, not a black box. Our own consultants resisted, afraid the algorithm would judge them too.

The more we optimized for efficiency, the more we lost what made us different: judgment, empathy, nuance.

I've seen this pattern in boardrooms everywhere. Predictive hiring models that miss the outlier who changes everything. "Culture fit" screens that just reinforce bias. Platforms promising global reach but delivering transactional churn.

The brutal lesson: Scale without meaning is just noise at volume.

The Renaissance Protocols

So what's the alternative? I call it the Renaissance Protocols—a way of building technology, teams, and companies that puts human flourishing at the center.

• Expand possibilities, don't narrow them. Tech should reveal new options, not just optimize old ones. If your algorithm only replicates yesterday's success, it's already obsolete.

• Show your work. Systems must explain their reasoning. No trust without transparency.

• Invite dialogue, not just compliance. The best platforms make users partners, not subjects.

• Measure what actually matters. Track growth, diversity, engagement—not just efficiency metrics.

• Make ethics practical. Frameworks for ethical reasoning and collective decision-making aren't nice-to-haves. They're the only way to avoid building beautiful systems that do the wrong thing at scale.

Intimacy in Institutional Settings

"Intimacy" doesn't appear in most business plans. But it's what everyone craves, especially in fast-scaling organizations.

For us, intimacy means building space for vulnerability, candor, and real feedback:

Ritualizing check-ins that go beyond KPIs—ask about fears, ambitions, failures. Design onboarding that prioritizes belonging, not just compliance. Build cross-border teams that share stories, not just tasks. Create feedback loops where dissent isn't just tolerated but required.

At scale, this is messy and hard. But it's the only way to avoid becoming another soulless machine—efficient but empty.

The Real Risk

What keeps me up at night isn't fear of being disrupted by some new AI. It's the risk that we become so obsessed with optimization, we forget what we're optimizing for.

We build systems that predict everything except what actually matters.

I've sat in too many strategy sessions where the only question is "How do we grow faster?"

The better question: "What kind of world are we building, and who will we become if we succeed?"

If your answer is just "more efficient," you're already obsolete.

Where We Go From Here

Build systems that make people better, not just busier. Use technology to expand wisdom, not automate judgment. Make space for questions that don't fit in spreadsheets.

If you're going to scale anything, scale trust, curiosity, and the courage to be wrong.

The renaissance continues—not despite our humanity, but through it. Our full humanity, including uncertainties, contradictions, and ongoing evolution.

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Kangze (Kevin) Hong

Founding Partner, LYC Partners | Founder, GEA & DEX AI

APAC | Europe | Global

“Building bridges where others see borders. Redefining executive search, leadership, and advisory—so you can thrive in the age of AI, uncertainty, and global opportunity.”