Back in May, I released a working paper titled Measuring the Human Experience of AI in the Workplace.
What began in grad school at Rutgers evolved into an independent research initiative based on a cross-sector survey of nearly 300 workers.
Yesterday, I learned that my paper was ranked a top 5 download in Organizational Learning on SSRN
The study centered on a few key findings, including:
AI use often correlates with drops in team trust.
As AI automates more analytical tasks, organizations begin to place greater value on interpersonal work.
These patterns were especially pronounced among knowledge workers, those typically assumed to benefit most from AI, who reported more negative impacts than those in service or civic roles.
Last week, Stanford independently confirmed both of these findings with a new study of 1,500 workers. Their data shows the same pattern: AI boosts efficiency but weakens trust and connection. And as automation spreads, it’s the human side of work, collaboration, communication, emotional intelligence, that becomes more valuable and more at risk.
It’s really validating to see this kind of alignment across independent studies.
But more importantly, it’s a signal:
The future of work won’t be decided by technology alone. It’ll be shaped by how we choose to design for people.
More soon.
Send it their way. It might say what they’ve been needing to hear.
Don’t let the next one slip by.
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