The Human First in AI

AI can speed drafts and analysis. People remain responsible for judgment, context, and the trust their communication earns.

Read productivity claims in context

Upwork’s July 2025 research surveyed 2,500 executives, employees, and freelancers in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada. Seventy-seven percent of C-suite respondents reported team productivity gains from AI. Employees using AI reported an average productivity increase of 40%; that is not the percentage of employees who benefited.

Among employees in the top quarter for self-reported AI productivity gains, 88% reported burnout and 62% did not understand how their daily AI use aligned with company goals. Among high-performing AI users, 64% reported a better relationship with AI than with colleagues, and more than two-thirds reported greater trust in AI.

These are survey reports from particular groups, not proof that AI caused burnout or a prediction about every workplace. Read Upwork’s research summary and survey details.

Keep responsibility with people

For me, the practical question is how a team can use AI without weakening the working relationships and judgment that its work depends on. Productivity figures alone do not answer that question.

Human creativity and imagination deserve deliberate practice. Teams need room to question an AI-generated answer, check its evidence, consider alternatives, and explain a decision to the people affected by it.

Make expectations explicit: what work can AI assist with, who verifies the output, and who owns the final decision? Discuss those expectations with colleagues rather than assuming that faster output means shared understanding.

Originally published on LinkedIn.

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