AI Writing at Work: The Hidden Risk to Credibility
More than 75% of professionals now use AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, or Claude for daily writing and editing tasks. These tools help streamline communication, making message crafting faster and often more polished. But when it comes to workplace communication, especially between managers and employees, the use of AI carries a surprising downside.
A recent study involving 1,100 professionals reveals a key paradox: while AI can make managerial emails appear more professional, heavy reliance on these tools can erode trust and damage credibility.
The Quality vs. Trust Dilemma
Researchers from the University of Florida and the University of Southern California explored how professionals perceive emails written with varying degrees of AI assistance—low, medium, and high. They found that although AI-generated messages scored high on professionalism and efficiency, employees grew skeptical about the sender’s sincerity and competence when AI involvement was more obvious.
Managers using AI for routine editing, like grammar fixes, were generally seen as acceptable. But when AI took a bigger role, especially in messages that require a personal touch—congratulations, motivational notes, or feedback—employees questioned the authenticity behind the message.
When AI Use Backfires
- Only 40% to 52% of employees found supervisors sincere when they used high levels of AI writing assistance.
- In contrast, 83% perceived messages with low AI help as sincere.
- Professionalism ratings dropped from 95% with low AI use to about 69-73% with heavy AI reliance.
This gap reveals that employees often detect AI-generated content and may interpret it as a lack of effort or genuine care. Such perceptions can undermine key leadership qualities like integrity and competence—both essential for trust.
Practical Advice for Writers and Managers
For those writing workplace communications, especially managers, it’s crucial to think carefully about when and how much to rely on AI assistance. Routine, factual messages like meeting reminders or policy updates can benefit from AI’s efficiency without risk.
However, messages aimed at building relationships—praise, motivation, personal feedback—should involve minimal AI help. The human element matters here. Authenticity and empathy can’t be fully replicated by a machine, and your audience will notice.
Balancing AI tools with genuine human input safeguards trust and keeps communication effective. Writers looking to sharpen their skills with AI tools can explore targeted AI writing courses to learn how to integrate technology without losing authenticity.
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