My manager suspects I’m dishonest because I rely on AI to manage my workload

Harnessing AI to Enhance Productivity in the Workplace: A Personal Experience

In today’s fast-paced work environment, staying on top of myriad emails, follow-ups, tasks, and meetings can feel overwhelming. For professionals in operations and management roles at mid-sized organizations, juggling these responsibilities often leads to stress and the risk of overlooking critical details.

Recently, I made a strategic decision to incorporate AI tools such as ChatGPT into my daily workflow. These tools assist in scanning notes, organizing to-dos, parsing emails, and generating daily plans, enabling me to streamline my tasks and prioritize effectively. The impact was immediate: I experienced improved organization, reduced errors, and consistent on-time submissions.

However, this adoption of AI did not go unnoticed. My supervisor—who holds a more traditional view and appears skeptical of AI integration—expressed concern. During a private discussion, he suggested that relying on such tools was making the team “look bad” and stated that meaningful work “takes time.” This reaction has created a strange dynamic, with some perceiving my efficiency gains as inappropriate or as ‘cheating.’

From my perspective, leveraging technology to optimize productivity isn’t about outsourcing responsibility—it’s about working smarter. Modern tools are designed to support us, not replace our effort. Embracing AI and similar innovations can help us perform at our best, provided we maintain transparency and integrity.

In an era where technological advancement is inevitable, adapting to new tools can be a significant competitive advantage. It’s essential for organizations and leaders to recognize that smart utilization of AI is a legitimate and valuable approach to achieving efficiency and excellence in the workplace.