Study finds AI use at work erodes trust between employees and managers

A University of Florida survey finds that using artificial intelligence in workplace communications is undermining trust between employees and managers. The study reports that workers who hear AI-generated messages view their supervisors as lazy and uncaring, a perception researchers say can erode leadership credibility. The findings come as AI tools become deeply embedded in daily work, with more than 75 percent of workers now using AI chatbots such as ChatGPT to draft emails, answer questions, or provide recommendations.

Led by researchers Anthony Coman and Peter Cardon, the study examined how AI assistance in routine and substantive workplace writing affects trust. Participants evaluated messages written with varying levels of AI involvement, including congratulatory notes, memos, and other communications. The researchers found that while AI support for grammar fixes or light editing was generally acceptable, extensive AI assistance in more substantive messages reduced perceived sincerity. The study notes a perception gap: professionals often consider their own AI use professional, while recipients detect AI involvement and judge it as lazy or uncaring. The researchers also found that men are more likely to use AI in the workplace than women.

Kelly Siegel, chief executive of National Technology Management, said some of the fear about AI in workplace communications is overstated. He argued that authenticity comes from alignment with values, not from whether every word was typed by a human, and that when used thoughtfully, AI can free leaders to focus more on guiding people rather than polishing prose.

Researchers described a tension between perceptions of message quality and who is sending the message. Coman and Cardon noted that professionals may rate their own AI-assisted messages as professional but remain skeptical of AI-assisted messages from supervisors. They said that although AI can enhance professionalism, managers who rely on AI for routine communications may risk losing trust when using medium-to-high levels of AI assistance.

The findings arrive as AI adoption intensifies across workplaces. While AI can boost productivity, researchers caution that heavy reliance on AI for leadership communications can backfire if employees view it as a substitute for genuine effort. The study sits within a wider context of rapid AI deployment and evolving labor-market dynamics. Separately, a Challenger, Gray & Christmas report highlighted ongoing labor-market shifts, with layoffs rising 140 percent from a year earlier and more than 800,000 job cuts announced this year, underscoring the economic turbulence touching tech and non-tech sectors alike.