There is a lot of hype about AI, including plenty of opinions about how AI will destroy us, save us or surprise us. But reality is less extreme and more nuanced. AI will certainly change work, and it will change our human experience. Most important right now is to keep our eyes open and anticipate the impact of AI so we can lean in with caution, plan with intention, and both protect and enhance our humanity by leveraging AI in all the best ways.

There are certainly those who believe that AI is overrated, and they doubt its long-term effects. But to resist or reject the impact of AI is like opting out of the internet years ago. We tend to overestimate the impact of new technology over the short term and then underestimate over in the long term, which can make us impatient for an immediate demonstration of effects. But AI today is as bad as it will ever be, as improvements are happening constantly. Understanding where we are going and responding effectively is tremendously important for us as individuals, teams, organizations and a society.

Given the reality of AI, our work will change fundamentally. This is not a scenario where work stays the same and we just have new tools like a calculator or a spreadsheet to get it done. Work itself will shift. While AI is certainly about tech, at its core, it is also about work, in terms of how we work and how we think about ourselves in relationship to our work. We will wrestle with the value we bring to our work, and how our value will shift.

The effects of AI will be nuanced and layered. There will be both good news and bad news, and both pros and cons. Here is some evidence for what we know about how AI will change the landscape of work and our experiences.

When people use AI, they report some great results as well as some drawbacks. In a survey of 3,782 people, 77% said AI enables them to accomplish more work in less time, while 73% were able to produce better-quality work with less effort, according to a 2025 report by SHRM. A 2023 survey by FlexOS found similar results with 81% of users who said AI had increased their productivity.

In another example, the MIT Sloan Management Review examined a case study with P&G in which the company examined the work of 776 employees. When people worked individually with the help of AI, their outcomes were on par with whole teams of people not using AI. In addition, when teams used AI, they outperformed both the individuals using AI and the teams who were not using AI. P&G also found that AI helped people work more effectively across departments, reducing organizational silos, and helping professionals from different disciplines produce more balanced solutions.

In another example, this one studying workers at Anthropic, 59% of engineers said they used AI in their work and achieved 50% better productivity as a result. However, they were only able to fully delegate a maximum of 20% of their work due to........

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