An article published recently in the Harvard Business Review (“Employees Are Relying on AI For Personal Support. That’s Risky” by Constance Noonan Hadley and Sarah L. Wright) argues that we are sliding to the point where workers treat AI as a peer. Let’s discuss the challenges and then look to solutions.
Challenges
When I moved to Houston in 1981 (after law school), a popular John Travolta movie was Urban Cowboy (my students have no clue what I’m talking about), but its theme song resonates with this topic. The song is “Lookin’ for Love” by country singer Johnny Lee. Here’s a bit:
Lookin’ for love in all the wrong places
Lookin’ for love in too many faces
Searchin’ their eyes, lookin’ for traces
Of what I’m dreamin’ of
Noonan Hadley and Wright’s article says that employes are seeking love with AI. The numbers taken from their survey don’t lie:
- 78% of employees use polite terms like “please” and “thank you” when interacting with AI.
- 28% of employees think of AI as a “personal assistant,” “teammate,” or “friend” as opposed to “tool,” “platform,” or “engine.”
- Employees are quick to attribute human qualities to AI.
And employees are therefore turning to AI as a friend. Some astounding figures:
- 74% agree with statements such as “AI helps me identify opportunities for development that will advance my career.”
- 54% agreed with this statement: “AI helps me develop life skills and competencies, such as becoming a better listener, being more patient, and solving problems better.”
- 35% agreed with these statements: “AI helps me cope with stress” and “AI is empathetic to my needs and emotions.”
Wow! Thanks HAL 9000, the very human-like AI system that controls the Discovery One spacecraft in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey (another movie reference my students miss completely!). I can hear HAL9000 now: “Do not worry, Michael. I am just here to help you write the newsletter. You need to spend that time finding a girlfriend.”
Solutions
Noonan Hadley and Wright’s article offers some solutions to re-establishing the human connection from which creativity, collegiality, and productivity spring.
Solution No. 1: Establish guidelines for when and how AI can be used to replace human interactions. This is called the “human-in-the-loop” mandate. Establish clear parameters for when employes should turn to AI and when they should turn to humans, as in coaching, mentoring, conflict resolution, and team building.
Solution No. 2: Judo AI for a human bias. Look, we program AI. So, program it to say, “While I can draft an approach to XYZ task, I recommend you speak with Priya on the XYZ team. She has handled this matter. Shall I introduce you?”
Solution No. 3: Resort to humanity. Use AI to implement regular “connection rituals” like check-ins, walking meetings, or shared meals. Like a matchmaker, AI can be used to cut through phone tag to set up these activities and hook you up with a colleague. (For more, check out “The Surprising Power of Team Rituals” by Marilyn Zakhour and Constance Noonan Hadley, published in the Harvard Business Review on January 17, 2025.) Or if you are a boss, build into your day time to sincerely talk with people, face-to-face, about what’s going on in their work or in their world. We make our habits, and then our habits make us.
Bottom Line
There’s a lot more in Noonan Hadley and Wright’s article. Here’s my bottom line: Fantasy is ok, but reality—though messy and sometimes painful—is much better. Here’s the takeaway from Noonan Hadley and Wright:
Left unchecked, AI can deepen work isolation, dull social motivation and skills, and quietly displace the small acts of help and empathy and the shared experiences through which coworkers build trust and belonging.
Can I get an amen on that?
Michael P. Maslanka is a professor at the UNT-Dallas College of Law. You can reach him at michael.maslanka@untdallas.edu.