Dear Hunter,
My colleague, let’s call her Irene, has started using AI for everything. I think that’s all she does all day! Ask AI to do her work for her.
She used to be my favorite colleague to email and Slack with. Her messages were short, simple, with clear opinions and next steps. We got work done easily. We could joke back and forth over email and Slack, too.
Now, AI has turned her emails into rambling non-responses that are five paragraphs long and regurgitate what was in my email back to me. Before I realized it was AI, I wondered if somebody had criticized her for being too direct. I was ready to defend her. (We live in coastal California. Directness can be seen as a bad thing.)
I don’t think our manager can help with this. He is a reluctant AI user, and gets nervous when we talk about AI generally. He only talks about AI when someone says they are too busy.
Our senior leadership team is encouraging everybody to use AI, but there are no guidelines for how to use it. “We are figuring that out,” is what we keep hearing. Fair enough. But I need help now.
I miss my smart, effective colleague. Her use of AI has made my job harder.
Is there something I can do? Am I just a left-behind Luddite? Should I start using AI to respond to her AI?
Signed,
AI-Annoyed
Dear AI-Annoyed,
Any time we get a new tool at work, we have to figure out as a group how to use it, as individuals and as a team.
In the 1980s, typewriters and thousands (or millions) of pieces of paper in rooms full of filing cabinets started to give way to desktop computers. Everybody had to adapt. In the 1990s, everybody started using email. And PowerPoint. And Excel. Everybody had to adapt. And on back through history.
That’s what is happening now with AI. It’s a new powerful tool, and we are all adapting to its use, even if we aren’t using it ourselves.
Enough context, let’s get to your issue. I think you are talking about two big changes here:
The change in effectiveness and efficiency of your work with Irene. To stick to your email example, Irene is giving you more to read through, and the words aren’t as useful as her own words before.
The change in your relationship with your Irene. If you are hearing from her AI assistant, you aren’t hearing directly from her. She’s a great person to work with. You get along well. You respect her opinions. You joke around. And now there is a computer brain in between you two.
Here’s how I would approach this:
First, focus on the work problem. Work is the reason you are there together. Fix that first.
Be curious. It sounds like you are pretty certain she’s using AI, but not 100% certain. Talk to her about what you have observed as a change in her working style and communication, but don’t assume the reason. Start with what you love about the way she works with you, and describe the change.
Something like this, starting with email:
What you appreciate from her: “Your emails are short and sweet and to the point. That helps me know quickly what I need to do, or what we need to figure out together.”
The change you have seen that’s a problem for you: “Recently, I noticed your emails are longer, and I can’t always figure out from reading them what you need from me or what you think we should do.”
Ask for her perspective: “Does this make sense? Does this sound accurate to you?”
LISTEN. (in all-caps because this is often the hardest part)
Whether she ‘fesses up to AI use or not, she now has your feedback. She knows what works best for you, and can adapt her email habits to return to being a great emailer.
Repeat this feedback process for other areas of her work, in addition to email, where you think the quality of her work has gone down. Be specific about what is not working. Stay curious. (I recommend NOT dumping a long list of shortcomings on her at once, if the list is long.)
Then, based on how the work-focused feedback was received, you can choose to invest in this work friendship. Optional, and in your own time.Do something simple to connect. Invite Irene to lunch or schedule a video call catch-up. Compliment her on what you appreciate about her as a colleague. Everyone deserves to be reminded of what others appreciate about them.
Finally, there is a need in your organization to move faster with guidance about AI use and work quality. If you want to help others, you could use this example of your work with Irene as a model for guidelines to ensure quality when using AI. Not your job explicitly, but a success story of two colleagues navigating this powerful new tool could be a simple teaching moment for others.
Best of luck,
Hunter