AI should extend human capability, not erase it.
The biggest risk in AI adoption isn’t job loss. It’s meaning loss. When work becomes defined by efficiency instead of contribution, engagement drops quickly.
The 2025 World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report projects that by 2030, work will be almost evenly divided between humans, technology, and human –machine collaboration. Most of the shift in human-performed tasks, about 82 percent, will come from automation, while the rest will come from augmentation, where technology enhances rather than replaces human effort. The opportunity is clear: design for collaboration, not substitution.
When AI takes on repetitive work, it gives people more space to use their judgment, empathy, and creativity. When it replaces those uniquely human capabilities, it takes away the meaning that keeps people engaged.
Everyday Moves
Start one conversation this week asking your people what part of their work they’d like more time for and explore how AI could help.
Pair a less -experienced employee with an AI tool and a mentor to work through a real project together.
Run a short team exercise to identify which tasks need a human touch and which could be tech-assisted, then choose one improvement to make.
The future of work will be shaped by how managers blend technology with humanity. Managers can design work that multiplies potential instead of chasing efficiency. AI will always change what people do, but how managers apply it determines how people feel about doing it.
If AI expanded your people’s capacity tomorrow, how would you help them use it to grow, not just get more done?