ICYMI Bosses, Stop Using AI And Do Your Job
Apr 15, 2026
Laura Helmuth, former science and health editor and Slate Good Job columnist, offers sharp workplace perspective. She talks about why managers lean on AI more than workers. They explore how AI can increase workloads, erode managerial responsibility, and create confusing expectations. Practical approaches for pushing back and framing AI use as experiments are discussed.
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Why Leaders Rush Into AI Adoption
- Managers adopt AI faster because they chase hype, FOMO, and corporate goals like "innovate" and "experiment."
- Laura Helmuth says leaders' incentives push them to use AI even without clear strategy, causing top-down adoption mismatches.
AI Is Good At Technical Tasks Not Human Judgment
- Generative AI has strengths in constrained, technical tasks but fails at nuanced human judgment.
- Laura Helmuth notes AI excels at protein folding and structured queries but is poor for context-rich managerial tasks like feedback.
AI Erodes Managerial Skill Development
- Offloading people skills to AI prevents managers from gaining essential experience in difficult conversations and mentorship.
- Laura Helmuth warns that relying on LLMs stops managers from improving discernment and leadership over time.