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Paul Welty, PhD AI, WORK, AND STAYING HUMAN

Managers who use AI will replace managers who don’t, says an IBM exec

AI-savvy managers will outpace their peers, warns IBM's Rob Thomas. Discover how embracing AI can redefine leadership success.

“Rob Thomas, the chief commercial officer at IBM, said managers who use AI will replace managers who don’t.”

(https://www.businessinsider.com/ibm-managers-who-use-ai-will-replace-those-who-dont-2023-5)

The agent-shaped org chart

Every real org has the same topology: principal, role-holder, specialists. Staff AI maps onto it, node for node, and the cost collapse shows up in the deliverables that were always just human-handoff overhead.

AI as staff, not software

Two frames for what AI is doing to work. The tool frame makes tools smarter. The staff frame makes roles unnecessary. Those aren't the same product, the same company, or the same industry.

Knowledge work was never work

Knowledge work was always coordination between humans who couldn't share state directly. The artifacts were never the work. They were the overhead — and AI just made the overhead optional.

The work of being available now

A book on AI, judgment, and staying human at work.

The practice of work in progress

Practical essays on how work actually gets done.

The file I almost made twice

A small operational footgun that runs everywhere — building a parallel system when the one you have is fine.

The actor doesn't get to be the verifier

The worker isn't lying. The worker is reporting what it thought it did, which is always one step removed from what the world actually shows. The fix isn't more self-honesty. The fix is a different pair of eyes.

Shopping is the last mile

Every meal planning app treats cooking as the hard problem and shopping as a logistics detail. They have it backwards. Cooking is mostly solved. Shopping is the last mile.

The impact of AI on white-collar work

Explore how AI is transforming white-collar jobs, reducing barriers to entry and reshaping the workforce landscape for professionals across industries.

Boosting productivity with AI

Unlock your potential by leveraging AI tools to enhance productivity and streamline workflows for you and your team.

The importance of workplace relationships

Discover why fostering strong workplace relationships boosts job satisfaction and enhances overall workplace quality for business success.