Is AI your new work 'friend'

With over 33% of UK adults using AI for companionship at some point in the last year (reported in the Frontier AI Trends study), are we missing an opportunity to bring some humanity and empathy into our workplaces?

Think about it.

It has the ability to set the tone of the workplace, to create a sense of belonging, to be the cheerleader. Many of the things a great leader might create in their team, but often don't have the time for.

It could be the simplest way to endorse socially accepted behaviours, like saying please and thank-you.

It gives your teams someone to turn to, for the emotional support they need, or simply for some social interaction. To help them reframe, reset or recharge.

I can imagine HR teams shaking their head about handing each team member their own coach/friend, but with the right guardrails and settings it could be a powerful alternative, and offered at scale.

Which then raises the question: What is the role of leaders in the future?

Source
Link to the report: https://www.aisi.gov.uk/frontier-ai-trends-report#emotional-dependence

BESCI AI OPINION

Getting the leader / human interface working well can transform your organisation.

We sometimes forget that our leaders are humans too. They get tired, moody, emotional, worn down, burned out.

Agentic AI is consistent, 24/7. It costs fractions of a penny or cent compared to the human it is replacing.

Can you imagine a world, where we each have our own boss, who knows us well and helps us achieve the outcome that are needed - and we are judged for those outcomes, not a popularity contest?