AI is a hot topic in the workplace, and not just for HR. AI is a popular belief or hope that will increase productivity by making work easier and efficient. It’s important to also consider the impact of AI (positive or negatively) on relationships at work.
Are we missing the point with AI?
Blind faith in the technology, social media pressure and fears that the company may be “left behind” all divert attention from a crucial and complex question: how will AI adoption impact workplace relationships?
Currently, many organisations ignore relationships. Managers who lack interpersonal skills tend to rely on rules. Silos are reinforced by outdated or ineffective systems. They are either too busy or stressed out to communicate with one another. The pursuit of short-term results encourages a ‘transactional exchange’.
The mechanistic approach to performance is common, but its daily practice harms productivity, experience and results. No amount of yelling at managers will restore the potential that bureaucratic methods have squandered.
You can protect your relationships at work, regardless of whether the corporate motives for AI adoption are positive or negative.
AI in the workplace
To be a tool that helps rather than hurts, technology must not only amplify but also enhance the human relationships which make collaboration possible. Let’s examine how platforms are used or could be used in the workplace to evaluate AI using this yardstick.
1. Free from the drudgery
AI will do the tedious work, say AI apologists, and free you up to focus on what really matters, which are tasks that only humans can perform. Time and energy are required to maintain relationships, so spending less time on boring tasks is a clear benefit.
Evidence suggests that AI is seen by firms as a tool to reduce labour costs and not to enhance roles. When the online payment company Klarna implemented AI the change was a source of much anxiety and not much benefit for thousands employees.
Automating your work will give you more time to do meaningful, enriching tasks. Silicon Valley hype can be misleading. You cannot connect with someone after you have been fired. Likewise, fear of being ‘replaced with AI’ urges a scramble to appear useful, where relationship-building typically loses out to short-term priorities.
2. Presentation
A town hall speech in English can be convincingly translated into (say) Japanese using deep-fake technologies, complete with body language and tone matching. You could explain to a global audience the company’s vision 2025.
Employees may not like a fake that is so deep. They may want to see you live on stage even if the translation is imperfect. Some employees may find the message clear and appreciate the video that is a more realistic version of you.
3. Email
Recent advertisements for Apple Intelligence demonstrated how AI can be used to create email responses without much or any intervention. LinkedIn users viewed this as a way of satisfying social norms when they couldn’t ‘be bothered to’ write a thoughtful message.
AI-generated texts may be appealing to those of us who suffer from email overload. Beyond basic transactional messages – “Yes, I’m free to meet you at 2:30 pm” – messages offer a way to connect with someone. AI-embellished email messages may create a false perception, possibly on purpose, which can harm trust.
Some colleagues will be delighted to receive a message generated by AI. Some colleagues may be offended by your AI-generated message. They might prefer a no-reply, hurried response or even an angry one.
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Generative AI allows you to quickly and easily give someone feedback. It could be a simple appraisal, a comment on an article of work, or even a piece advice.
Inviting or receiving feedback, however, is an act that shows vulnerability. This is a sign of respect for your knowledge, insight, or experience. The colleague who is asking for feedback won’t care about AI’s views – which it doesn’t have – or how a large-language model (LLM), can embellish your ideas.
AI is not recommended for feedback if you want to maintain authenticity and trust.
5. Learning
Many workplace conflicts can be avoided. In two articles, I discuss how to deal with ‘difficult colleagues’ – people who tend to either act differently or think differently .
A bot can simulate the behaviour and words of a fictional team member who is difficult to work with, and provide feedback on how you might navigate around relationship barriers. AI-assisted training may therefore be a good way to learn management or interpersonal skills.
In this constructive application of AI, it is important to note that the technology doesn’t mediate an actual relationship between two people. AI can cause friction between people.
Protecting relationships at work: Three imperatives
AI will be around for a long time, and organizations will find or create uses for it. You can protect your relationships at work, regardless of whether the corporate motives for AI adoption are positive or negative.
Consider these three essentials:
A relationship is always two-sided, so be aware of the reactions that other parties may have to AI-assisted interactions. Others are viscerally against the technology, while others are enthused by it.
Think about trust as your guiding principle. Will AI build or break trust in any interaction? A translation by AI may allow for a quicker and more welcome response, while compliments inspired by LLM may be offensive.
Examine your motives and think about how your partner might feel if he or she learns that you are using AI. When it comes to human connection, efficiency rarely matters. And you can’t outsource building trust.
