Fundamentally Relational

Welcome to the Era of Relational Intelligence by Isabelle C. Hau
Stanford Social Innovation Review, Spring 2026

Education has cycled through competing, and sometimes complementary, models of intelligence: IQ, EQ, and CQ among them. Now, artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping teaching and learning, as well as the world beyond the schoolhouse. Isabelle Hau proposes relational intelligence (RQ) as a distinctly human response to this digital shift. Hau describes relational intelligence as the ability to build trust, navigate complexity, and create meaning with others. Drawing on research from neuroscience, education, and public health, she shows that human development is fundamentally relational: strong connections drive learning, well-being, and long-term success, while relational deprivation harms cognitive and emotional growth. Some urgency for Hau’s argument derives from the fact that, despite powerful technological tools designed to help us connect and relate, we are communicating and sharing less. This “relational recession” is evident in growing rates of loneliness, increasing screen time, and declining face-to-face interactions. As AI companions may contribute to these downward trends, Hau calls for greater opportunities for people to relate to one another. Schools that prioritize strong teacher-student relationships, workplaces that value trust, and healthcare that emphasizes human bonds will all be more effective, if not cherished.