At an October 2025 Fortune summit, renowned author Dr Brene Brown - a self-confessed tech optimist – underlined that many skills remain deeply human and are not replicable with AI. She included self-awareness and meta cognition in her essential list of leadership skills...
AI is certainly shaking the core of how we think about how work gets done. But while AI is increasingly accepted as a ‘collaborative partner’, we must nourish the uniquely human aspects of collaboration.
AI feels like a magic wand in many workplace scenarios and is transforming the efficiency of many organisations, but it still presents a host of undeniable challenges for humans, especially leaders.
Super-efficient data-driven platforms and eerily capable AI agents may feel like the new right hand ‘saviours’, but most of us still need other people (and great human teamwork) to really thrive.
In the Forbes Research 2025 AI Survey, this response to ‘most significant challenge’ by a C-suite executive stands out:
“Helping employees trust and adapt to new tools without fearing job loss”
In the survey, 72% of C-suite execs agree that “future success requires balancing AI’s power with its impact on the workforce.” The report suggests a broad consensus that the defining challenge with AI adoption will be cultural and human adaptation.
This presents a sizeable challenge for already-pressured leaders and managers.
As AI integrates further, we observe that our colleagues may react differently to its expansion based on their personality types, roles and motivations.
It means that leaders and managers need to boost their human skills – empathetic communication, listening, intuition, critical thinking, cultural awareness - more than ever. AI does none of these better.
To help teams get comfortable with the new reality, we must develop our appreciation of different preferences.
If so, you wouldn't be alone in feeling that AI training (and the communication surrounding it) is not as clear as it could be.
It’s urgent. Some of the world’s largest employers are ‘reconfiguring’ their workforces and focusing on ‘upskilling’ (towards AI). The same employers are experimenting with multiple approaches to determine whether workers can successfully adapt to AI-driven environments.
They’re measuring baseline competencies in data handling, problem-solving and adapting to change. They're assessing employees’ willingness to experiment with AI tools, collaborate with AI systems and integrate them into daily workflows.
Clearly, workforces need to be reskilled, and clearly, AI literacy is necessary for workforce transformation.
Some employers offer learning and development opportunities like online programmes about AI basics, targeted training for specific job roles and hands-on experiences across existing workflows.
At cloud software company Workday, internal research revealed that employees weren’t using AI tools because they weren’t clear on the appropriate use cases. In turn, they launched an “Everyday AI,” programme to encourage employees to use and experiment with AI and learn how it’s already being used in the organisation.
Those who value practicality and accuracy may welcome the super-efficiency that AI can provide, but may prefer to stick to their own carefully organised systems and ways of working. They may struggle with the logic of introducing new platforms to process data and guide decisions when they’ve already taken great care to be super-efficient in their work. You may hear them say:
“I want control over my work. AI might diminish my contribution and impact somehow. I value producing my own work and the thought processes associated with it. I’m not comfortable being told how to work or using automated systems and processes that take massive time and concentration to get to grips with.”
Those who value brevity and pragmatism may love how AI speeds everything up, but may struggle with control issues, lament the inaccuracies and dislike that it can create more work to correct AI recommendations and analyses.
“AI is slowing me down. The AI tools in my workflow aren’t as efficient as I need them to be to meet my goals quickly. The data isn’t always accurate and I don’t feel in control. It sometimes feels like more of a hindrance than the problem-solving saviour that everyone talks about.”
Those who value freedom and collaboration may love the fun of exploring concepts and new possibilities using AI, but may resist being ‘reined in’ - they may not welcome the rigidity of ‘augmented collaboration’ with machines more than humans. They might say:
“We’re losing the spontaneity of human creativity and interaction and so one of my core values at work is being squashed.”
“I don’t want us to lose the art of persuasion and negotiation: I know AI can model and simulate negotiation scenarios, but the subtle art of making it work in practice depends on human skills.”
Those who value human input and relationships may welcome some of the highly personalised detail AI can offer so quickly, but may be less comfortable with the increasing role it’s playing in workplace situations that still deserve a human-first approach. They may also have ethical objections to the use of GenAI because of its common inaccuracies. They might say:
“It feels like we’re losing what matters most in our team: the ability to give input, listen to concerns and create human-centred solutions to uniquely human problems. I want to prioritise mentoring and coaching to preserve team harmony and keep our sense of purpose and direction."
AI presents us with a great opportunity to revisit how we interact with each other.
As leaders find themselves having to redesign teams and roles and review entire organisational structures, the role of meaningful relationships leaps sharply into focus.
What’s the human employee experience of AI?
Personality type has a significant impact on how AI’s role and capabilities are understood and implemented. As managers and leaders, we need to take several considerate, empathetic actions to ensure our people feel heard and supported...
We need to personalise how we talk about expectations around AI.
A blended workforce means AI is now everyone’s quirky new colleague, and that shift will shape your culture. Some people may still wonder how these tools fit into the way they like to work, which makes it even more important to show that your organisation puts people first.
When teams feel seen and valued, they bring their best. Being human is still our greatest advantage in business, and even in the midst of the transition, we must build cultures that celebrate it.