By SIOP Fellow Sang Eun Woo
Artificial intelligence has moved from science fiction to everyday reality, shaping how we work, hire, and create. Some celebrate it as a force for smarter and fairer work, while others fear it will replace jobs and erode human connection. Recent research suggests the truth lies somewhere in between. The future of AI is not about humans against machines but about humans working with machines. The real question is not whether we use AI, but how and why we choose to use it.
Seeing AI Clearly: Partner, Not Person
Artificial intelligence works best when we see it for what it is, a powerful tool that can work with us but not like us. It can help us think more clearly, make faster decisions, and spark new ideas, but it is still a machine. It does not feel, care, or understand the way people do. Forgetting that can lead us astray. When we start treating AI as if it were human, we risk giving away too much trust and responsibility.
The real strength of AI is not in how smart it seems but in how wisely we use it. We benefit most when we know its limits, use it to sharpen our thinking, and stay firmly in charge of our choices. People who are curious and open to learning tend to gain the most, while those who depend on it too much or reject it out of pride often miss out. The culture around us also matters. In open and supportive workplaces, AI can feel like a helpful partner. In rigid ones, it can feel more like a silent boss.
The Danger of Replacing Human Intuition
AI can process data and spot patterns we might miss, but it cannot match the intuition, empathy, and moral awareness that come from real human experience. Relying too heavily on algorithms can drain decisions of nuance and humanity. Organizations may gain speed or efficiency but lose the wisdom that comes from lived understanding. Intuition is not perfect, yet it helps us sense meaning, read context, and navigate uncertainty in ways no machine can. The challenge ahead is to find balance, using AI to inform our decisions while keeping human judgment at the center.
Emotions at Work: Fear, Trust, and the Willingness to Adapt
Research highlights how strongly emotions influence technology adoption. Fear of job loss or of losing control can undermine even the most promising innovations. Workers who see AI as a threat tend to disengage, while those who view it as a challenge to grow are more likely to thrive.
Organizations can help shape this mindset. When leaders communicate clearly, provide training, and create psychological safety, employees are more willing to experiment with new tools. Work environments that emphasize autonomy and learning rather than surveillance reduce anxiety and build confidence. Trust is the true operating system of the AI workplace.
Practicing Openness
Embracing technological change requires openness: the willingness to approach new ideas with curiosity instead of defensiveness. Openness allows us to explore unfamiliar tools and question our assumptions about what work should look like. It helps us stay flexible in a fast-changing world and reminds us that learning is not a one-time achievement but a continuous, life-long process. When we stay open, we become more capable of integrating innovation without fear, engaging differences with humility, and discovering creative ways to blend human insight with machine intelligence.
The Dark Side: Algorithmic Control and the Gig Economy
For many gig workers, AI does not feel like a teammate but an invisible manager. Platform algorithms allocate tasks, monitor performance, and determine pay, often with little transparency. Many workers describe feeling isolated, powerless, and constantly watched.
Even so, human agency persists. Gig workers learn to adapt in creative ways. Some comply with the algorithm’s incentives, others ignore or reject certain tasks, and some find ways to subvert the system entirely. Online worker networks have become spaces of solidarity and advocacy, helping people share information and push for fairer conditions. These communities show that while AI can structure work, it cannot erase the human drive for connection and justice.
From Fear to Flourishing
The question is no longer whether AI will change work but how we will change with it. Will we design systems that amplify human strengths or ones that quietly erode them? Research points to a clear conclusion: the most successful AI transformations are those that center people, build trust, and promote fairness.
The future of work may depend less on artificial intelligence itself and more on our human wisdom. It calls for the courage to adapt, the humility to collaborate, and the imagination to stay open to new ways of thinking, without giving up what makes us deeply human.
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About the Author
Sang Eun Woo, Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Purdue University, studies how personality and motivation shape workplace attitudes, behaviors, and relationships. Her work promotes openness to new ideas, diverse perspectives, and growth, while advancing measurement of individual differences for organizational and educational use. Sang also works as Director of the Susan Bulkeley Butler Center for Leadership Excellence at Purdue, where she applies her expertise to foster women’s leadership in higher education.
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The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology or its affiliates.
If you are interested in submitting an article for Thought Leadership for a Smarter Workplace, email SIOP Senior Brand and Content Strategist Amber Stark at astark@siop.org.
Post Type
Thought Leadership for a Smarter Workplace
Topic
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
