AI in the Workplace

Artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t coming—it’s already here. From customer service bots to document drafting assistants, AI in the workplace is changing how work gets done. But while the tools are advancing quickly, the bigger shift is happening in how people lead and support teams. No one expects today’s leaders to be tech experts, but they are expected to help their teams navigate change with clarity and confidence.

This blog explores what’s already changing, where AI is showing up in day-to-day work, and what steps leaders can take to stay ahead of the curve. You’ll also get a practical tool to assess your team’s AI readiness and learn how to strengthen the human skills that keep people—not just technology—at the center of progress.

Why Leaders Can’t Ignore AI Anymore

AI isn’t new—it’s been evolving in business since the 1950s, from early expert systems in the 1980s to today’s generative tools like ChatGPT and Copilot. What is new, however, is how pervasive and accessible AI has become. A 2025 report from Stanford’s Human‑Centered AI Institute shows that 78% of organizations were using AI in at least one business function by 2024—a sharp increase from 55% just a year earlier.

For leaders, this matters deeply. AI isn’t just about automating tasks—it’s reshaping how work gets organized, decisions are made, and skills are valued. As AI takes on more repetitive work, qualities like strategic thinking, empathy, ethical judgment, and creative problem-solving grow even more essential. Choosing to ignore AI doesn’t make it go away. But when leaders engage thoughtfully, they can guide their teams toward smarter, more human-centered work—and unlock greater productivity and innovation in the process.

The New Reality: AI in the Workplace Today

AI is no longer confined to big tech or specialized departments. It’s woven into everyday tools and workflows, often without most people realizing it. Email filters that sort by priority, predictive text in messages, calendar scheduling assistants, and even basic chatbot support are all powered by forms of artificial intelligence.

It helps to understand the difference between automation and AI, which are often mentioned together:

• Automation refers to technology that follows predefined rules to perform repetitive tasks. Think of it like a digital assembly line—fast, consistent, but not capable of learning or adapting on its own.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI), on the other hand, involves systems that can make decisions, learn from data, and adjust their behavior over time. It’s less about following rules and more about interpreting patterns and adapting to context.

Here’s how the most common AI categories break down:

• Robotic Process Automation (RPA) mimics human clicks and keystrokes to perform high-volume, rule-based work.
• Machine Learning (ML) gets better over time by analyzing data and adjusting outputs without needing new code.
• Generative AI (like ChatGPT, Copilot, or image tools) creates new content based on training data and user prompts—text, images, even code.

These technologies aren’t just helpful—they’re becoming essential for saving time, navigating complexity, and supporting better decisions. The challenge isn’t whether to use them, but how to use them well. That starts with awareness and intentionality.

How AI Is Already Showing Up on Your Team

Even without a formal rollout or policy, there’s a strong chance your team is already using AI in the workplace in small, everyday ways. A 2023 survey by Fishbowl found that 30% of professionals had used AI tools like ChatGPT at work—often without discussing it with their manager. DigitalSilk cites that in 2025, 42% of millennials in the U.S. said they’ve used ChatGPT for work. Those aren’t signs of rule breaking. They’re signs of initiative. Many employees are finding ways to work more efficiently by experimenting with what’s available.

Here are a few examples of how AI use might already be happening:

• Drafting emails or reports with ChatGPT or similar tools
• Using AI transcription services like Otter.ai for meeting notes
• Brainstorming project names, outlines, or talking points
• Summarizing long articles, documents, or datasets
• Automating repetitive spreadsheet or data-cleanup tasks

Most of these actions happen under the radar—not because employees are hiding them, but because the tools feel informal or supplemental. Still, this quiet adoption creates an opportunity. When left unaddressed, it can lead to inconsistent results, over-reliance, or ethical blind spots. But when supported with clear guidance, it can become a foundation for smarter, more empowered work.

How to Guide Responsible AI Use on Your Team

AI use on your team doesn’t need to be formalized to be influential. In fact, informal use is often where the most innovation—and the most confusion—begins. That’s why one of the most important things a leader can do is create clarity around how these tools should be used.

Here are a few ways to guide responsible adoption:

• Start the conversation: Ask your team how they’re using AI now, what tools they’ve explored, and where they see opportunities.
• Share your own practices: When leaders talk openly about how they’re using AI—whether it’s summarizing meeting notes or brainstorming strategies—it shows buy-in and builds trust.
• Define when AI is helpful and when it’s not: AI can be great for getting started or speeding up repetitive work, but it’s not a replacement for context-sensitive or judgment-based tasks.
• Encourage review and reflection: Help your team treat AI output as a draft, not a deliverable.
• Model curiosity: You don’t need all the answers—just the willingness to learn and lead through change.

Leading the adoption of AI doesn’t mean you have to know everything about it first. You just need to be willing to learn in public, set direction, and make space for thoughtful progress. When leaders set that tone, teams are far more likely to use AI in ways that are both creative and responsible.

Practical Ways Leaders Can Use AI Today

AI isn’t just for technical teams or IT departments. Many of the tools available today are simple, accessible, and immediately useful—even for leaders focused on strategy, communication, and team development. The key is to look for opportunities where AI can remove friction and free up time for higher-value work.

Real-World Examples of AI in the Workplace

Here are a few practical ways to incorporate AI into your workflow.

Drafting communication. Use generative AI to draft internal emails, team updates, or meeting recaps. It can give you a strong starting point that you fine-tune in your voice.

Jumpstarting new ideas. When you’re stuck or starting from scratch—whether it’s outlining a presentation, shaping a project plan, or brainstorming questions for a client meeting—use AI to help generate a first round of ideas to work from.

Summarizing content. AI tools can quickly distill long reports, articles, or meeting notes into digestible highlights, helping you stay informed without drowning in information.

Simplifying complex topics. AI can help explain unfamiliar concepts or draft talking points for topics outside your comfort zone, giving you a running start when time is short.

Analyzing team input. Some leaders use AI to group or summarize open-ended survey comments or performance feedback—making patterns easier to spot.

Share with your team how you’re leveraging AI in the workplace. Doing so not only demonstrates buy-in but also builds trust and encourages others to explore responsibly. It signals that learning is part of the culture and that the goal isn’t perfection—it’s progress.

Challenges for Leaders: Mindset, Trust, and Readiness

Even with growing interest in AI, many leaders face understandable hesitation. The rapid pace of change, unfamiliar tools, and swirling headlines can lead to uncertainty—or even quiet resistance. The good news is, these challenges are normal. And they’re solvable with the right mindset and support.

Common Barriers

Following are common circumstances that prevent leaders and teams from embracing AI.

• Discomfort with the unknown. Many leaders feel pressure to “have it all figured out” before guiding others. But AI is evolving fast, and no one is an expert in all of it. What matters more is staying curious and willing to learn.
• Fear of job displacement. While AI is automating some tasks, it’s also increasing demand for human-centered skills—communication, creativity, problem-solving, and leadership. The question isn’t “Will AI take over?” It’s “How can we evolve together?”
• Trust in the tools. AI is only as good as the data and parameters behind it. That’s why human oversight and critical thinking are still essential. Teams need reassurance that AI is a tool to increase their productivity. It’s not meant to replace their expertise, business knowledge, creativity, nor their jobs.
• Lack of a clear starting point. When everything feels like it’s changing, knowing where to begin can feel overwhelming. Leaders don’t need to do everything at once. Small steps make a big difference.

Support makes a big difference. With the right resources and attitude, leaders can turn uncertainty into action.

The Human Advantage: What AI Can’t Replace

As AI becomes more capable, it’s easy to assume that everything can—or eventually will—be automated. But that’s not the reality. In fact, the rise of AI is making distinctly human skills more important than ever.

AI can process vast amounts of data, generate content, and complete tasks at scale. What it can’t do is lead with empathy, navigate complex relationships, or make values-based decisions in ambiguous situations. It also can’t generate original thought. Generative AI pulls from existing knowledge to repackage and recombine ideas—it doesn’t imagine, intuit, or innovate on its own. That’s where people shine.

Skills that remain uniquely human include:

• Emotional intelligence and interpersonal communication
• Ethical judgment and moral reasoning
• Creative problem-solving in unstructured environments
• Coaching, mentoring, and team-building
• Strategic thinking and decision-making with cultural context
• Generating new ideas and applying insight to unfamiliar challenges

These aren’t just “soft skills”—they’re business-critical that differentiate effective leaders (and workers) in an AI-enabled workplace.

Audit Your Team’s AI Readiness

Not every team is starting from the same place. Some are already experimenting with AI tools, while others are hesitant or unsure where to begin. As a leader, it’s helpful to understand where your team stands—so you can support them more effectively and identify opportunities for growth.

Our downloadable AI Readiness Guide for Leaders contains an audit section to help you assess:

• How aware your team is of AI tools
• Where AI is already being used (formally or informally)
• Levels of comfort and confidence using AI at work
• Key gaps in skills, knowledge, or understanding
• Your own readiness to lead in an AI-enabled environment

You can use it to reflect on your current state, spark a team discussion, or start planning for targeted upskilling. The goal is to create clarity and direction.

Looking Ahead: The Future of AI in the Workplace

Over the next few years, AI will augment or automate more tasks, especially repetitive, rule-based, or data-heavy ones. But this doesn’t mean mass replacement. Instead, it means almost every role will shift in some way.

Changes for Workers

• Tasks, not jobs, will be automated. Research from MIT and Deloitte shows that while AI may impact up to 80% of job tasks in some roles, very few jobs will disappear. Workers will increasingly take on responsibilities that require judgment, collaboration, and adaptability.
• New tools will become standard. AI assistants, writing aids, chatbots, and data analysis tools will be part of everyday work—even in traditionally non-technical roles.
• Skills will shift. Critical thinking, emotional intelligence, digital fluency, and comfort with change will be essential. Personalized learning platforms—including AI-driven ones—will help employees identify and close their own skill gaps faster.

Actions for Leaders

• Anticipate role evolution. Leaders need to reassess job responsibilities, identify tasks suitable for automation, and reimagine how people’s time can be used more meaningfully.
• Support continuous and personalized learning. Leaders will need to make space for ongoing development, using platforms that tailor content to individuals’ roles, goals, and growth areas.
• Lead ethical use. As AI use expands, so do concerns about bias, transparency, and misuse. Leaders will be expected to champion responsible AI use—setting guardrails and asking the hard questions about how tools are applied.
• Build digital confidence. Teams need more than tools—they need the confidence to use them. Creating a safe, supportive environment where experimentation is encouraged is key to long-term adoption.
• Lead with empathy. Even positive change can create stress. Empathy, transparency, and clear communication will remain essential leadership qualities in an AI-enabled workplace.

AI isn’t replacing people—it’s redefining the work people do. The leaders who prepare their teams now will be best positioned to succeed in the years ahead.

Conclusion

AI in the workplace is changing how work gets done, how teams collaborate, and what leadership looks like. But you don’t need to be a tech expert to lead well in this new landscape. You just need to stay curious, be intentional, and make learning a priority.

Talk to your team. Share what you’re doing. Ask how they’re using AI. And most of all, keep building the uniquely human capabilities that make technology more effective—not less necessary.

If you’re ready to upskill your team on AI, or soft skills to complement it, TopTalent Learning can help. Our LMS includes over 48,000 courses designed to help your workforce grow with confidence. We can also develop a learning program customized for your team and their specific needs through our managed learning services.

Return to Blog Home page.