AI — the efficient, ever-obliging colleague?

Have your working relationships changed since AI agents joined your team? Or simply since AI tools began speeding up your tasks?

A video doing the rounds on social media shows a student party: young adults, drinks in hand, and in their midst, a humanoid robot dancing along to the music. The caption reads: 'We invited ChatGPT to our graduation because it's basically part of the class now!'

It's a satirical snapshot of a very real situation. Since its explosion onto the scene in 2022, AI has made itself remarkably at home in our daily lives. With its most capable agents in tow, it is reshaping our working processes, the way we gather information — and even the way we open up to others. So what does all this mean for our social lives, and in particular for our relationships with colleagues? In the absence of large-scale studies, we gathered a few firsthand accounts.

Fewer colleagues, fewer conflicts?

AI has been burning up the headlines. Early coverage focused on predictions; now it reports on realities. Accounts from workplaces are multiplying: some speak of a loss of purpose, of exhaustion driven by ever-higher productivity expectations. The narrative goes something like this: 'With AI to help us, we're ultimately expected to do more — and faster.'

For those who prefer working alone, the picture is more nuanced — sometimes strikingly so. A freelance marketer quoted in Le Temps says that since an AI agent became part of his workflow, he has 'the firepower of an entire team' at his disposal. And all without the tension, the endless meetings, or the misunderstandings. Is AI, then, well on its way to trimming staff costs for SMEs and sharpening their competitive edge?

We put the question to Luca Ferrari, founder of Atout Communication, a two-partner SME specialising in corporate communications.

Luca is measured in his response: 'In our small setup, AI makes us more efficient — particularly during the thinking stages. But it doesn't allow us to cut a job. A task that might take me eight hours could still take eight hours today, but the time is distributed differently. I spend less time staring at a blank page and more time refining, improving, and questioning.'

In his view, AI's role in no way encroaches on the exchanges and discussions he has with his business partner. He doesn't see it as a way of sidestepping team friction — but rather as a means of expanding his creativity.

Tensions around AI

Any innovation that unsettles our habits and norms tends to provoke both suspicion and enthusiasm — sometimes in the extreme. It is easy to imagine, then, that colleagues might hold sharply conflicting views on how quickly — or in what manner — AI should be introduced into their workflows.

What factors shape how readily people accept this new technology? According to Jan Borer, an occupational psychologist, personality plays a decisive role. 'The OCEAN model provides a particularly useful framework here. OCEAN stands for Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. These dimensions shape the attitudes we are likely to develop towards specific issues.'

Luca B., an engineer and team leader based in Uster, has noticed that his colleagues don't all respond to the introduction of AI in the same way.

'Conflicts tend to show up mainly as a "for versus against AI" divide, and as tension between speed and rigour. Scepticism surfaces particularly where AI outputs need to be verified, or where there is uncertainty around compliance or data protection. In the early days, there were cases where AI-generated results were shared with colleagues without any prior checks — which is, of course, an absolute no-go.'

For Philippe P., Chief of Staff at a federal authority, the resistance has been far less pronounced.

'My team members are fairly curious, open, and willing to share best practice with one another. They help each other get more out of the tools. That said, I do notice some downsides. Since AI makes it easier to write emails, we're receiving more of them — and they're longer. That gets tiresome quickly. On top of that, some people use it to analyse processes mechanically, without any oversight, which isn't ideal either.'

Clear rules

Everyone agrees, then, on the need to approach AI with a critical eye — verifying its outputs and assessing its usefulness in streamlining specific processes.

According to Luca B., this brings a welcome pragmatism to teamwork:

'Teams get started faster or iterate earlier, because a "first draft" costs less effort. The fear of the blank page disappears, since AI produces an initial version that can then be refined.'

His overall verdict: AI is a genuinely useful support. But the real benefits will only come with proper training and clear ground rules.

That last point is crucial. Frustrations arise when there are significant skill gaps within a team around AI tools. And when a company has no usage policy in place on top of that, you get what is known as shadow AI: everyone uses their own tools according to their personal abilities, sometimes without giving a thought to data protection.

Imagine the frustration of watching a colleague become twice as productive as you because they're quietly using AI on the side. Companies have a responsibility to regulate the tools and invest in training their staff.

Our occupational psychologist's conclusion: 'One of management's core tasks is to bring together a range of personalities and needs within a team that is both cohesive and high-performing. It is therefore up to every manager to engage with the concerns, fears, and needs of their team members. In the context of AI, this might mean easier access to training, open team discussions, or mediation where tensions arise. The breakneck pace of AI development, combined with the fact that we are increasingly working in leaner teams, makes the role of management more critical than ever.'

Our commitment to a modern and fair world of work

Employees Switzerland has taken an early interest in the rollout of AI within companies. The association offers free courses to its members and, more recently, access to the 'Road to Knowledge' learning platform by Kuble AG, which supports you in mastering this technology. The annual subscription of CHF 190 is free for our members. On top of that, we are co-founders of the einstAIn collective, which brings together stakeholders from all walks of life to anticipate the effects of AI on the world of work — so that the productivity gains it makes possible benefit everyone.

AI — the efficient, ever-obliging colleague?

Fewer colleagues, fewer conflicts?

Tensions around AI

Clear rules

Our commitment to a modern and fair world of work

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Author

Laure Fasel

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