Empowering People in the Age of AI

For years, buzzwords like automation, AI, and digital transformation have dominated the conversation about the future of work. These innovations have certainly reshaped how we operate—but a recent report by the telecommunications company One NZ - AI Trust Report: New Zealanders’ Attitude towards AI in 2025 signals growing unease.

A significant number of employees (65%) are worried artificial intelligence will lead to job losses, and consequently there is a major trust gap when it comes to AI use,” the report states.

Are these concerns valid? When ChatGPT first appeared in February 2022, many met it with sceptic ism. But it quickly proved itself as user-friendly—offering fast, natural language responses that required no coding expertise. In many workplaces, AI has since become a kind of digital teammate—helping with tasks, supporting projects, and even contributing to staff development. In fact, AI has opened up new career paths that simply didn’t exist before.

So perhaps the question is no longer can we use AI to boost productivity—but how we can use it to enrich the human experience. In a world rapidly reshaped by technology, success doesn’t just depend on the tools an organization adopts—it depends on how those tools are used, and who they’re used to empower. The real competitive advantage lies in fostering workplaces that value well-being, empathy, and inclusion.

The bottom line? AI, automation, and data-driven tools are here to stay—and that’s a good thing. But their true power lies in enhancing human potential, not replacing it.