According to a recent Gallup report, individual AI use at work has risen steadily in the past year. More than half of U.S. workers (52%) now use AI in their role, with 30% using it frequently and 15% using it daily.
Generative AI is giving professionals and leaders communication capabilities that would have been almost unimaginable just a few years ago. In seconds, we can turn rough ideas into polished emails, presentations, articles, talking points and strategic messages. We can adjust tone, simplify complex concepts, anticipate questions and tailor messages for different audiences.
But in coaching and training professionals and leaders on communication in the age of AI, another key question beyond adoption has emerged: As AI makes communication easier, could some ways of using it actually make us less effective—and weaker—leaders?
The answer can be yes, and emerging research is beginning to reveal why. The World Economic Forum reported that a study published in the International Journal of Business Communication examined perceptions of AI use in workplace writing. When supervisors heavily used AI for routine communication tasks, respondents began to question the sender’s confidence, sincerity and ability. The article describes this as a “believability gap.”
The problem can emerge when we transfer to AI some of the human work that strong leadership perspective and communication require. Communication is not simply the production of words. For leaders, it is one of the primary ways people experience our thinking, judgment, values, courage, empathy and strategic direction. Those capabilities need to be continually exercised and strengthened, not simply expressed through increasingly polished language.
The hidden leadership work behind communication
Consider what has to happen before a leader communicates an important message or data. They have to determine:
– What they actually believe
– What matters most to them and their audience
– What their team needs from them
– What they are prepared to stand behind
– What people may be worried or confused about but aren’t saying
– And how to communicate honestly and openly while at the same time, helping others move forward with as much confidence and clarity as possible
These questions require sophistication of thought, reflection, discernment, internal calm, emotional intelligence and strong judgment.
AI can certainly help us explore these questions. But if our first move is to ask AI, “What should I say?” before we’ve done any of that deeper thinking ourselves, we’ve potentially outsourced part of the leadership work—not merely the writing. READ MORE
By Kathy Caprino
Source: forbes.com
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