AI in the Workplace: Will It Replace You or Supercharge You?

Today, we stand at the edge of a new 'Age of Intelligence'—with computing power once thought magical now at our fingertips, thanks to generative AI.

Mind whirring at the possibilities, we sat down with Gary Cook, VP of Product Management at EZRA, to find out what this means for the future of work.

Rise of the learning machines

“It’s going to change everything,” Gary tells us. “I don't even want to call it a wave—it's a tsunami.”

Indeed, AI’s potential is so epoch-defining that it has spawned an entire new category of fear: FOBO (Fear of Being Obsolete).

Augmented humanity: Your new superpower

But fear not. AI isn’t here to steal your job. It’s here to augment it.

“It’s like a bionic arm—it’s supercharging what employees do today. It can give me a skill I don’t normally have and lets me do other tasks much quicker,” Gary says.

Far from being obsolete, Gary thinks abilities like hyper-personalization and data-driven decision-making are going to provide superpowers. This delivers the ultimate in operational efficiency, freeing us up to do what we do best: be creative and strategic.

The rise of "Shadow Users"

As things stand, only 1% of leaders say their companies have reached maturity in AI deployment. So, what’s the hold-up? It’s not resistance from employees.

“Whether organizations want it or not, their people are using it,” Gary points out.

Around half of employees are what’s known as shadow users—already consulting AI on the sly, away from organizational oversight. If organizations want to drive the narrative, it’s time for leaders to bite the bullet and step up.

Leaders need to lead (and lead now)

“As leaders, our job is to embrace it,” Gary points out. “We’re going to have a workforce coming through now and a client base that's expecting to use AI.”

But look before you leap. “There’s got to be a purpose,” Gary insists. Leaders need to ask: What’s the problem we’re trying to solve, and how is AI going to help us achieve that?

Combatting trust and bias

“One of the big barriers we have to overcome is around trust,” Gary thinks.

Trust in organizations is like gelatin in Jell-O. Without it, the whole thing falls apart. The focus must be on building something ethical and as unbiased as possible. That means laying out clear policies, maintaining human oversight, and constantly reviewing the output.

“You're testing for those biases... ensuring it's regulated... and then that creates that trust,” Gary believes.

AI works for humans (not the other way around)

Let’s not forget who’s in the driver's seat. Microsoft called its AI solution Copilot, not Skipper, for a reason.

“I make a hundred decisions a week and AI can help me inform that, but at the end of the day I have to take that authority,” Gary points out.

Yes, we’re still the ones in charge. But the future is moving fast—and leadership means staying ahead of it.

Your Next Move

AI won't replace thoughtful leaders who can navigate change with clarity and purpose. But it will leave behind those who wait too long to act.

Ready to lead your organization through this transformation? EZRA's leadership coaching programs help executives and managers develop the strategic thinking and change management skills needed to thrive in an AI-powered workplace.

Explore EZRA's Leadership Development Programs