How AI Engineers Are Changing Workplace Dynamics

It’s easy to think of AI as a time-saver that streamlines workflows and accelerates output. But the deeper opportunity lies in how it’s reshaping the nature of work itself. A new study from Harvard Business School’s Manuel Hoffmann followed more than 50,000 developers over two years, with half using GitHub Copilot. The results were striking: developers shifted away from project management and toward the core work of coding. Not because someone told them to, but because AI made it possible. With less need for coordination, people worked more autonomously. And with time saved, they reinvested in exploration—learning, experimenting, trying new things. What we’re seeing here isn’t just productivity. It’s a shift in how work gets done and who does what. Managers may spend less time supervising and more time contributing directly. Teams become flatter. Hierarchies adapt. This is just one signal of how generative AI is changing our org charts and challenging us to rethink how we structure, support, and lead our teams. The future of work isn’t just faster. It’s more fluid. And if we get this right, it’s a whole lot more human. https://lnkd.in/gaUgXnRY

AI isn’t just changing how we work. It’s changing who we talk to. If you're not watching your networks, you're already behind. Most People Analytics teams still focus on AI usage rates. But usage isn’t the same as transformation. Our latest research at Worklytics shows what’s changing under the surface. Because when AI enters the workplace, networks shift. It’s not just who uses AI. It’s how teams interact because of it. AI changes the shape of collaboration. And not always in predictable ways. Here are 4 network effects People Analytics teams should be tracking: 1. Silos shrink but only with the right agents. AI can increase information flow between teams. But poorly designed rollouts just create new barriers. 2. Key people get overloaded. Bridge roles become bottlenecks. Agents must scale collaboration, not funnel it. 3. Everyone becomes a manager. AI flattens hierarchies. ICs coordinate more, even without formal authority. 4. Isolation risk increases. The more digital and agent based the network, the less connected people feel. Human agent activity can dilute real connection. These patterns don’t show up in AI usage dashboards. They show up in the network itself. If you’re not measuring how AI is reshaping collaboration, you’re missing the real impact. Full breakdown from our Worklytics research is in the comments below. What’s your team doing to track the hidden effects of AI?

If you’re in leadership, you need to understand *how* genAI will transform your organization, and what that means for restructuring teams. Here's what we're learning: BREAKTHROUGH IN AI IDEATION OpenAI is getting ready to launch new AI models (o3 and o4-mini) that can connect concepts across different disciplines ranging from nuclear fusion to pathogen detection. (Reporting from The Information's Stephanie Palazzolo and Amir Efrati). Molecular biologist Sarah Owens used the system to design a study applying ecological techniques to pathogen detection and said doing this without AI "would have taken days." THE NEW TEAMMATE EMERGES Remember the HBS study with 776 Procter & Gamble professionals? It showed that genAI functioned as an actual teammate. Individuals using AI performed at levels comparable to traditional human teams, achieving a 37% performance improvement over solo workers without AI. Teams using AI were three times more likely to produce top-quality solutions while completing tasks 12.7% faster and producing more detailed outputs. BREAKING DOWN SILOS That study showed that AI also dissolves professional boundaries. Without AI, R&D specialists created technical solutions while Commercial specialists developed market-focused ideas. With AI, both types of specialists produced balanced solutions integrating technical and commercial perspectives. A NEW KIND OF TEAM AI users reported higher levels of excitement and enthusiasm while experiencing less anxiety and frustration. Individuals working alone with AI reported emotional experiences comparable to those in human teams. That's wild. RESTRUCTURING FOR ADVANTAGE The HBS study showed that AI reduces dominance effects in team collaboration. When genAI translates between roles, it accelerates iteration at a pace that there’s no way traditional teams could match. ++++++++++++++++++++ THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD BE DOING NOW: 1. Upskill your entire workforce: Develop a fundamental behavioral shift in how teams interact with AI across every task. This only works if everyone is doing it. (We work with enterprise to upskill at scale - more below.) 2. Experiment with new team structures: Test different AI-team combinations. Try individuals with AI for routine tasks and small teams with AI for complex challenges. Find what works best for your specific needs. 3. Redefine success metrics: Set new standards for what good work looks like with AI. Track not just productivity but also idea quality, knowledge sharing across departments, and team satisfaction—all areas where AI shows major benefits. ++++++++++++++++++++ UPSKILL YOUR ORGANIZATION: When your company is ready, we are ready to upskill your workforce at scale. Our Generative AI for Professionals course is tailored to enterprise and highly effective in driving AI adoption through a unique, proven behavioral transformation. It's pretty awesome. Check out our website or shoot me a DM.