At this week’s Make A Difference keynote webinar, AI at Work: Are you Ready for the Impact on Workforce Health, Culture and Risk?, experts including author and keynote speaker Petra Velzeboer, AI specialist Dr Ashwin Mehta, Anglo American’s VP Health, Dr Robina McCann and Wysa’s Founder, Jo Aggarwal made one thing clear: AI is no longer a future challenge – it is already reshaping work, health and wellbeing, and leadership capability is struggling to keep pace.
While many organisations are investing heavily in AI tools, the panel warned that without clear strategy, governance and people-focused implementation, employers risk increasing burnout, eroding trust and missing the opportunity for genuine transformation.
AI is not one thing – and that confusion is creating risk
A key theme was the widespread misunderstanding of what AI actually is.
Dr Ashwin Mehta outlined four distinct categories – from traditional machine learning to generative AI, automation and “agentic AI” – each with very different implications for jobs and organisations. Crucially, he stressed that much of the current conversation conflates these, leading to poor decision-making.
“There’s a big difference between tools that assist work and systems that can autonomously make decisions,” he explained – with the latter posing far greater disruption to roles, structures and workforce design.
This lack of clarity is already filtering into organisations, where leaders are “buying licences, not adopting AI,” resulting in tools being deployed without clear use cases or workforce alignment.
Work is changing fast – but not always in the way leaders expect
Despite headlines about rapid AI adoption, the reality for many employees is more complex.
While some roles are seeing increased efficiency, others are stuck in what the panel described as a “messy middle” – where expectations are rising but workflows haven’t caught up.
Dr Mehta highlighted a fundamental shift: AI is removing execution tasks, leaving employees doing more continuous cognitive work.
This creates a new risk:
- Less routine work
- More constant thinking
- Higher mental load
And, as several speakers noted, organisations are not adjusting expectations accordingly.
Burnout risk is rising – and leaders must take responsibility
The panel pushed back on the idea that AI is inherently good or bad for wellbeing. Instead, the impact depends on how it is implemented and led.
Robina McCann pointed to early evidence from a MIT report showing a clear pattern:
- Initial excitement and productivity spikes
- Followed by fatigue and unsustainable workloads
In some cases, employees reported working 12–14 hour days during early AI adoption phases due to increased pace and enthusiasm.
This is where leadership becomes critical.
Jo Aggarwal argued that leaders must go beyond offering wellbeing support and instead take responsibility for:
- Monitoring the human cost of change and ensuring effective change management strategies are in place
- Tracking burnout signals
- Designing cultures that maintain agency and self-efficacy
“Burnout reduces people’s sense of agency – and that directly impacts their ability to stay relevant in an AI-enabled workforce,” she suggested.
One-size-fits-all approaches will fail
Another key insight was that AI will not impact all employees equally.
Dr Mehta emphasised that workforce capability is “distributed”, meaning:
- Some employees will thrive and accelerate
- Some will adapt with support
- Others may struggle significantly
This creates a new leadership challenge: managing “performance distribution”, not just overall productivity.
“Leaders need to stop treating the organisation as a monolith,” he said, noting that different groups will require different levels of support, reskilling and intervention.
Culture, trust and employee voice are critical to success
A recurring theme was the risk of top-down AI implementation.
Jo Agarwal stressed that many organisations are rolling out AI without involving employees in how it should be used.
This can lead to:
- Loss of trust
- Reduced engagement
- Fear around job security and surveillance
Instead, she urged organisations to involve employees in shaping how AI is applied to their roles, helping them identify where it can genuinely add value.
“This is an opportunity to bring people on the journey – not impose change on them,” she said.
Governance, ethics and “should we do this?” questions are lagging
While many organisations are focused on AI capability, the panel warned that governance is not keeping up.
Key risks raised included:
- Bias in AI systems
- Misuse of employee data
- Increased surveillance concerns
- Cybersecurity threats
Dr Mehta argued that organisations need stronger ethical oversight, including properly informed governance structures – not just senior leaders making decisions without expertise.
What good looks like: a more sustainable, human-AI workforce
Looking ahead, the panel described a future where organisations successfully integrate human and AI workforces.
In this model:
- AI handles execution and repetitive tasks
- AI is used to direct people to the right support at the right time
- Humans focus on direction, creativity and decision-making
- Performance is measured by outcomes, not hours
However, achieving this requires intentional design, not just technology investment.
The message to leaders: step up now or risk falling behind
The clearest takeaway from the session was the growing urgency for leadership action.
For Chief People Officers in particular, the panel highlighted three priorities:
- Get a seat at the table in AI strategy discussions
- Shift focus from wellbeing alone to sustained performance of human + AI systems
- Build strategies that balance productivity with long-term workforce health
This means bringing together HR, wellbeing, risk and technology functions to ensure a joined-up approach. A challenge in itself for many, but one that it’s worth addressing – for everyone’s benefit.
Whether you attended the webinar and want to revisit the content, or you want to find out what you missed, you can access the recording of the webinar here.
References:
Papers referred to during the webinar by the panel members include:
https://mehtadology.com/white-papers/agentic-hr
https://mehtadology.com/white-papers/ai-governance-framework
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