By Sarah Jackson
Publication Date: 2026-10-06 16:20:00
Artificial intelligence is rewriting the rules of many jobs, including management.
As more employees use AI in their day-to-day, bosses need to change their approach to managing given this new means of work, says Aparna Nair, IBM’s chief talent, leadership & culture officer.
One issue they can help tackle is employees’ concern about their skills atrophying because of their AI use at work. In an IBM survey of 1,500 chief human resources officers and 8,800 employees worldwide published in September, 3 in 4 concerned employees said AI had already begun eroding some of their skills, most often critical thinking.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania coined the term “cognitive surrender” in a paper published in February to warn of “uncritical acceptance of AI’s answers in place of one’s own reasoning.” Deferring to AI not only to complete certain tasks but to make decisions, instead of making them yourself, can contribute to skill erosion. This could, in turn, negatively affect…
