In some ways, artificial intelligence chatbots seem ready-made to help answer basic questions about work like, “How do I ask my boss for a promotion?” or “What should I tell my colleague who’s slowing down our project?”
Those exact types of questions can probably be answered more accurately and helpfully by a close colleague — someone who knows you and your character well, and creates a “safe environment” for you to share your problems and perspectives — says Peter Stewart, a Richland, Washington-based business psychologist and managing partner at coaching firm Stewart Leadership. Always ask them first, he recommends.
“If you want to go and practice, ‘Hey, how does this sound? How does this come across?’ it can be [useful] there. But they’re not going to be the good decision-maker for you,” says Stewart, who specializes in leadership consulting and change management. “That’s where it really does continue to help to have the human to check with, to practice and to have that perspective on.”
AI can be helpful for analytical or research activities, Stewart says. It can be less effective for social, creative or emotional queries, he says, as chatbots lack real empathy and situational understanding.
