BetterUp research found 83% of workers use AI instead of colleagues for quick information, while 37% use it for conversations or check-ins. Nearly half of respondents say teammates come to them less because of AI.
The study found workers with a lower sense that their work matters were 1.5 times more likely to turn to AI instead of colleagues; those with lower psychological safety were 2.1 times more likely. Kate Niederhoffer, BetterUp’s chief scientist and head of BetterUp Labs, said AI is boosting access to expertise without a matching rise in trust and coordination, creating what she called a “coordination tax.”
People who reported being displaced by AI were 3.3 times less likely to want to work with that colleague again. BetterUp recommends developing human skills alongside AI capabilities, setting norms to reinvest time saved by AI in people, and investing in relationship-building.
