Open any business publication right now and chances are one of the first articles you’ll see is about how artificial intelligence is taking over the world and stealing jobs from us helpless humans. For all I know, AI itself is creating these articles.
This entire phenomenon has succeeded in adding another layer of stress to workplaces already swimming in it. “How will it impact my job? Will it replace me? Will I ever be able to find another job if the technology is outthinking me?”
If you drill down on this phenomenon a bit, what you’ll discover are three general schools of thought. First, there are those who are celebrating the advent of AI. AI will save you time. AI will do your work for you. AI will anticipate your every need and desire.
Second are those who consider the dawn of artificial intelligence cataclysmic. “AI will take all professional jobs. We’ll be reporting to our laptops. AI will be overriding our decisions. How will I survive when AI is outthinking me?”
Third are those who are saying, “Slow down. Take a breath. AI, like every technology, will be a mixed blessing. It will be used and abused. We will assume it has power it doesn’t have. It will make certain parts of our work and life easier and it may well become a nuisance when it inserts itself when we don’t need it. And oh, by the way, it’s been a part of your life for quite some time. You just didn’t realize it. Don’t be afraid of it. Learn how to leverage it. But remember, it is still just computer code. It can’t reason like you can. The best way to manage AI is to become the best critical thinker you can.”
One of the things that AI does better than us is to “analyze” without emotion. After all, we humans analyze every choice and situation through a lens of emotion. We can’t help it. We’re wired that way, if you can forgive the metaphor. But all AI can do is provide options, suggestions and, perhaps, recommendations. If I ask ChatGPT, Claude or even Deep Seek to compile what I need to know on a particular issue, it will do so in 15 to 30 seconds. But I am still the one who has to decide which parts to use in my project, report or presentation.
It may also, by the way, hallucinate, or give me information that is untrue or even gibberish. Those who sell the virtues of AI will tell you that, over time, it will become more and more accurate. That may be true, although the term garbage in – garbage out still applies. Of course, all of this is adding stress to a workplace that doesn’t need any more because of the uncertainty about the role it will play going forward.
So how can you deal with all the stress this is causing. If you’re a leader, you’ve having to navigate the different worries and concerns of those on your team. Some are embracing it. Others would be happy to do without it. Still others would like to cherry-pick the parts they like. Trying to get in alignment, especially when having to work collaboratively can be a challenge.
Then there’s the underlying concern about integrating with those on the job. In many workplaces I visit, there is an undercurrent of concern about job security. Finally, there’s the burden of learning more technology, technology that seems to evolve by the day. “How can I get my work done when I have to learn the new features of the latest upgrade? While that may sound like a digital immigrant talking. I know lots of digital natives who feel this pressure as well.
Outside of leading others, how can you, personally, adjust to the advent of this technology? Just because you’re in charge doesn’t mean you’re any better at learning or leveraging it. You may feel like you’re running to catch up just like those on your team. Think you’re alone in all this? Trust me you’re not.
So, once again being a good critical thinker and compelling those around you to up their reasoning skills as well is your best defense when it feels like the workplace is leaving you behind because of AI. Sometimes the AI acolytes can be so insistent that everything going forward needs to viewed through a lens of this technology. Want to bring them back to earth? Ask them to demonstrate how AI can be leveraged to make the best decisions, not just to provide endless suggestions and options.
Want to reduce the stress on your team when it comes to this technology? Bring it out into the open. As with any new idea, there is a natural desire to be part of the new new thing, to be a first adopter, to be ahead of the curve. It’s been my experience in interviewing and observing senior leaders, however, that they are never the first. They take time to watch to see how a new technology or concept plays out. They ask lots of questions. They consult with those they trust, and they tend to be the last to speak, simply because they want to hear what everyone else has to say. It’s that kind of patience and perspective that has earned them a reputation as effective leaders. And it is this patience and perspective that also relieves the stress on the workplace and those in it.
How are you managing the stress around the use of AI in your workplace? We’d all like to know. Put your ideas in the comments below and don’t forget to subscribe to this channel for more insights just like this. I’m Bob Wendover.