Shoutout to Brandon Linn for sparking a great debate on my feed the other day. He asked a crucial question: With AI increasing efficiency, what do we actually do with that "found time"?
The knee-jerk reaction for many companies will be to simply pile on more automated tasks. But if we use AI just to make humans work like machines, we’ve failed the culture test.
Think about what happens right now when a tool saves us an hour. We don't take a breath; we just let an automated scheduler fill that empty slot with another "quick sync." We are facing massive meeting inflation and digital noise, trading actual focused work for the illusion of being busy.
As an HR leader, I see this as a classic skills gap puzzle. We need to clearly divide the labor so we can protect our humanity:
AI-Led Tasks: The routine stuff. Data crunching, initial drafting, sorting through spreadsheets, and scheduling. (Basically, clearing our plates).
Human-Led Tasks: The irreplaceable stuff. Reading the room during a tense meeting, navigating client chaos, motivating a discouraged team, and leading with deep empathy.
Our old training playbooks are built for a pre-AI world. We can’t teach emotional intelligence (EQ) via a checklist or a boring compliance video. We have to actively coach our leaders on how to manage with empathy, especially when tech is moving at lightning speed.
We are not robots. Let’s use AI to take care of the mechanical, so we can get back to being human.
👇 What’s your take? If your company gave you back 5 hours a week thanks to AI, would you want to use it for deep creative projects, mentorship, or maybe testing out a 4-day workweek? Personally, I’m taking more walks and getting some fresh air - no screens allowed.