AI adoption often comes with bold promises: faster work, smarter insights, and major efficiency gains. But for many, it feels less like a leap forward and more like someone pushed them off a cliff.
When AI changes how work gets done, it doesn’t just disrupt workflows. It also transforms them. It can unsettle how people see themselves. Many people wonder whether their skills are still relevant or if their roles might be reduced or eliminated. These are human concerns, not just technical ones. But the real challenge for HR and HRIS leaders isn’t just implementation. It’s guiding people through emotional and complex change.
In this blog, we’ll explore five emotional barriers people and managers often experience during AI transitions and practical ways your HCM tools can help you build trust and support adoption.
AI adoption = identity disruption
A few years ago, I spoke with an HR leader who was frustrated by a new policy change at her company. Seniority no longer determines vacation time—everyone receives the same generous allowance from day one.
“I worked years to earn that time,” she told me. “Now someone just starting gets the same deal?”
The shift made strategic sense for the business, but for her, it felt like a personal loss. Her time off benefit wasn’t just a perk. It reflected her loyalty, status, and contributions.
AI adoption can have a similar emotional impact. People may not say it out loud, but many ask: What happens to my value if AI can do what I do?
Psychologists like Bree Groff describe change as a process of loss. Organizations encounter resistance when they fail to account for these losses of pride, control, competence, familiarity, and narrative.
However, resistance doesn’t mean people are incapable of change. It means they haven’t been included in the change process.
Let’s explore five ways to lead AI-driven transformation with empathy and how your HCM system can help at every step.
<<Help your people see AI as a valuable tool in their work. Get the full guide now.>>
1. Protect pride in people’s work, don’t challenge it
People often take deep pride in the work they’ve developed over time. When AI is introduced as a smarter or more efficient alternative, it can feel like their hard-earned experience is being dismissed.
The risk isn’t just resistance to technology, but the message that their past efforts were never really that good. If we want people to embrace what’s next, we must start by acknowledging and honoring what they’ve built and the skills they used to make it.
How to put this into practice
Do some research on past employee contributions, then highlight those activities that led to today’s transformation in internal communications. Recognize the people who built the processes AI will now optimize. Change feels less threatening when you make it clear that it’s built on people’s legacies, rather than over them. Start by talking about the timeline of contributions that you’re optimizing with AI. Immortalize that work in shoutouts, newsletters, and other employee communications.
2. Ease fears about loss of control
AI often arrives from the top down, leaving managers and teams feeling like they have no say in how work is changing. Anxiety builds quickly when managers don’t have a voice in how the company introduces AI to their teams. If anyone feels sidelined, they’ll likely disengage from the change.
However, change is more likely to stick when managers and teams feel a sense of ownership. Involving them early through pilot programs, feedback loops, and regular check-ins demonstrates that their insights still matter. You’re not just giving them a tool—you’re giving them agency.
How to put this into practice
Capture input from managers and people by taking a survey before launching new tools. Create a new process or workflow in your HCM to set up opt-in pilots, track usage, and celebrate progress. Regularly update people on the process, focusing on how feedback is used.
This turns managers from gatekeepers into guides, giving them agency, not just instructions.
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3. Address the hit to competence
Experienced team members can feel uncertain when asked to adopt unfamiliar tools and technologies. When those tools are positioned as faster or smarter than human work, it can trigger real anxiety.
Instead of glossing over those concerns, HR leaders can normalize uncertainty, provide accessible training, and create peer-learning opportunities that reinforce the message. They can also offer honest conversations by inviting early adopters to share what didn’t work at first. That kind of transparency makes it safer to learn.
How to put this into practice
Map out AI-related skills that may be needed and build a development plan in your HCM. Pair managers with internal mentors where they can both teach and learn.
When growth is visible and supported, learning feels empowering rather than threatening.
<<Help your people see AI as a valuable tool in their work. Get the full guide now.>>
4. Honor people’s story, even as it shifts
For many, AI is a plot twist they didn’t see coming. However, people are more open to change when they understand how it fits into the broader context.
That’s why it’s so important to acknowledge the journey.
Make space for people to reflect on where they’ve been, what’s changing, and why. When you help people connect the dots between the past and the present, you show them they’re still part of what comes next. It’s not about replacing what came before. Instead, it’s about evolving together.
This is especially important if your AI implementation includes letting some people go. Don’t disparage their performance or contributions in public statements. Acknowledge the value of their past and present contributions, even if those contributions aren’t required tomorrow or in the future. People need to feel that what they are doing today will be respected, even if it is not required tomorrow.
How to put this into practice
Utilize org charts and recognition stories to document people’s contributions throughout their tenure. Feature these stories through company communications outlets to show how each chapter connects to your AI-powered future.
5. Make the future feel familiar
When AI feels abstract, fear often fills in the blanks. People may assume the worst, especially if they don’t understand how new tools will impact their work. The best way to counter that uncertainty is to create a clearer picture of a path forward.
Share real examples, offer hands-on experiences, and connect the dots between your goals, strategy, and their daily reality. When people can visualize where they fit, they’re more likely to contribute to building what’s next.
How to put this into practice
The more people can envision their role in the future, the more likely they are to contribute to building it.
Highlight early wins through data and dashboards. Compare and benchmark your data against similar companies to determine your current position and identify the changes you want to implement. Check in regularly with your team to keep them informed and engaged throughout the process.
Recommended For Further Reading
Change isn’t just strategic, it’s emotional
AI isn’t just a workflow update. It’s a shift in how people work, what they know, and where they add value. To see a real return on your AI investments, your change management strategy must be as people-centric as your business strategy.
So, the next time you launch a new AI initiative, don’t just think about the tech. Think about the people. Build a rollout that honors what’s being lost, what’s being learned, and what’s still possible.
When you meet people where they are, they’re more likely to come with you toward what’s next.
<<Help your people see AI as a valuable tool in their work. Get the full guide now.>>
Key takeaways
- AI adoption is as emotional as it is technical. Rolling out AI in the workplace isn’t just about systems—it’s about guiding people through disruptions of pride, control, competence, and identity.
- Protect people’s pride by honoring their work. Recognizing contributions that built today’s workflows helps people see AI as an evolution, not an erasure of their value.
- Give managers and teams a voice in the process. Involving them in pilots, surveys, and feedback loops builds trust, ownership, and stronger adoption.
- Normalize uncertainty and build competence. Training, mentoring, and open conversations help people feel capable, supported, and ready to learn new AI-related skills.
- Honor the human story behind the change. Acknowledging past contributions—especially during restructuring—builds respect, continuity, and trust in the AI transition.
- Make the AI future feel familiar. Clear examples, data dashboards, and visible early wins help employees visualize their role and reduce fear of the unknown.
- Leading AI with empathy drives business outcomes. When HR leaders roll out AI with people at the center, adoption rises, trust deepens, and organizations realize the true potential of AI in the workplace.
