This article looks at how communication between leaders and their teams is changing with AI. Research findings are discussed, tips given and scientific references provided.
How many emails in your inbox in the last week were written by the person who sent them? Probably less than you think. Maybe you’ve spotted a change in tone in emails recently? AI can draft our emails, write texts, summarise meetings and tidy up presentations. I use it for some of that myself, primarily to save time. In my work as a business coach with leaders and teams, I have noticed that something else is shifting in terms of communication. While many of my customers mention a strange feeling of discomfort when receiving emails in a tone they don’t recognise from colleagues they’ve known for ages, those same colleagues seem surprised that the AI in their messages is easily readable to humans.
Focussing on sounding good, as GenAI LLMs do, is a different kettle of fish from building trust in your communication.
A team at Cornell looked at what happens when people use replies suggested by AI in conversations. The conversations initially got quicker and friendlier. People even felt closer to each other. The catch: once one party was suspected of using AI, or it became apparent they used AI, that party was judged negatively (Hohenstein et al., 2023). People aren’t looking to connect with LLMs or AI. People want to know there’s a person on the other end. Why is that?
It’s a trust issue. Humans want to trust in the communication they engage in.
A convincing message, as AI can deliver, isn’t necessarily a correct one. In a field experiment, 758 consultants at Boston Consulting Group worked on realistic tasks with and without AI. For many tasks AI helped, a lot. On a more complex business problem, though, the consultants using AI got the answer wrong more often. Their recommendations still came across as more coherent and persuasive (Dell’Acqua et al., 2026).
Emphasizing the importance of keeping humans in the loop.
This is also worth keeping in mind the next time a perfectly worded proposal or presentation lands on your desk.
What communication is needed in teams and from leaders in times of AI?
- Talk openly in your team about where you use AI and where you don’t. Agree on it together.
- Conversations on topics like feedback, conflict, change, a thank you – this communication belongs to the human, you, not to a tool.
- Make it normal to question things, including what AI produces. Establish humans in the loop of what you do with AI.
- Provide psychological safety in your teams. Teams where people feel safe to speak up learn more and do better work (Edmondson, 1999).
- AI frees up time for you to actively and deeply listen.
AI can help with the writing. The connecting is still up to you. As I wrote in Human leadership & AI, technology is there to support human performance, not to replace human connection.
If you want to know more about how I can support you and your team as a business coach and trainer, get in touch. I look forward to hearing from you.
References
Dell’Acqua, F., McFowland, E., III, Mollick, E., Lifshitz, H., Kellogg, K. C., Rajendran, S., Krayer, L., Candelon, F., & Lakhani, K. R. (2026). Navigating the jagged technological frontier: Field experimental evidence of the effects of artificial intelligence on knowledge worker productivity and quality. Organization Science, 37(2), 403–423. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2025.21838
Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383. https://doi.org/10.2307/2666999
Hohenstein, J., Kizilcec, R. F., DiFranzo, D., Aghajari, Z., Mieczkowski, H., Levy, K., Naaman, M., Hancock, J., & Jung, M. F. (2023). Artificial intelligence in communication impacts language and social relationships. Scientific Reports, 13, Article 5487. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30938-9
