I don’t use AI to replace people.
I use it to hear them more clearly.
Most operational problems aren’t about missing SOPs—they’re about misheard signals.
This piece breaks down how I use AI after listening to teams, not instead of them.
A people-centric approach is crucial when implementing AI: treat it as a talent amplifier, not a replacement. Companies that rush deployments without training can face resistance and not optimal results, while smart ones (many already rehiring laid-off staff) prioritize upskilling teams.
This is a great example of using AI to augment human teams instead of replacing them. Companies that go the replacement route (like Klarna last year) often end up rehiring after a bunch of negative PR.
This is one of the more thoughtful takes on AI I’ve read, grounding the conversation in human first strategy rather than tech hype is exactly where most teams should begin. Starting with people, context, and real behavior before bringing AI into the room reinforces that tools amplify insight but don’t replace judgment or strategy. That perspective, using AI as a clarifier rather than a crutch, is the kind of mindset that separates noise from real operational value in 2026.
Thank you, Katie, for saying this out loud. I also think that, as well as making my skin crawl also these layoffs with AI are just shredding institutional memory, which is something that's going to be extremely costly for the people in charge to buy back.
A people-centric approach is crucial when implementing AI: treat it as a talent amplifier, not a replacement. Companies that rush deployments without training can face resistance and not optimal results, while smart ones (many already rehiring laid-off staff) prioritize upskilling teams.
AI amplifies insight, it doesn’t replace the human understanding that actually matters.
exactly! An incredibly useful tool, but it needs quality human input all along the way.
using AI to amplify human signal and mirror real behaviors is the mature ops play that actually sticks
This is a great example of using AI to augment human teams instead of replacing them. Companies that go the replacement route (like Klarna last year) often end up rehiring after a bunch of negative PR.
This is one of the more thoughtful takes on AI I’ve read, grounding the conversation in human first strategy rather than tech hype is exactly where most teams should begin. Starting with people, context, and real behavior before bringing AI into the room reinforces that tools amplify insight but don’t replace judgment or strategy. That perspective, using AI as a clarifier rather than a crutch, is the kind of mindset that separates noise from real operational value in 2026.
pattern mirror; love this! and yes. humans are awful communicators and have immense bias.
The clarity payoff - very Lencioni ✅
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Patrick Lencioni - The 5 dysfunction of teams
Thank you, Katie, for saying this out loud. I also think that, as well as making my skin crawl also these layoffs with AI are just shredding institutional memory, which is something that's going to be extremely costly for the people in charge to buy back.