Everybody’s using AI. Let’s be honest, whether your company has embraced it or not, it’s happening. We’re all throwing prompts at ChatGPT, getting summaries, and generating ideas. The problem? We’re just slapping AI on top of ancient workflows, pretending it’s just another tool. That’s not only unsustainable; it’s a short-sighted approach.
You Have No AI Implementation Plan?
Most organizations act as if AI doesn’t exist in how jobs are structured. It’s like we’re driving a futuristic car with a horse-drawn carriage mentality. Sure, the engine’s powerful, but the steering wheel is still designed for a horse. We’re risking security blind spots, data leaks through shadow IT, and ending up with a patchwork of solutions that won’t scale. We might get short-term gains by quickly using AI, but long-term, we’re setting ourselves up for a mess.
Let’s face it: our teams are experimenting, improvising, and often doing so without any purpose, guidance, or control. At Moticheck, we recently ran an extensive internal AI audit. Initially, we wanted to understand the risks associated with the AI services we provide to our customers. We are proud that our tech stack was up to the standards, and actually, our case was used to update the game plans suggested to companies by a local industry association. But what we found internally was just as revealing: our own team’s AI use was inconsistent, scattered, and often improvised. That audit became an eye-opener, showing just how far even forward-thinking teams are from truly integrating AI into the fabric of their work. We’re letting a powerful resource slip through our fingers because we’re scared to admit it’s here to stay and change everything.
The Reality of AI in Our Daily Lives
This isn’t about replacing humans; it’s about augmenting us. We need to stop fighting AI and start embracing how it can fundamentally change work for the better. This isn’t just about throwing money at new AI tools; it’s about rethinking what jobs are. Let’s get out of denial, get rid of makeshift fixes, and design our workplaces for the reality of an AI-driven world. Yes, there are some jobs that the AI can replace, but there are tens of individual tasks that AI can do within an employee’s job.
We need to actively point out those “AI-native” tasks – the boring, repetitive stuff that machines are far better at. Why are we wasting human minds on data entry when an algorithm can do it flawlessly? And it’s about time we openly experimented with AI. Let’s get feedback. If something works, great. If something doesn’t, then we learn.
The bigger picture here is about job design, organizational structure, and realizing that there are new roles like AI trainers and analysts that are already required and will only become more crucial. We need to train our staff for these roles and engage in honest conversations about what AI can and can’t do. And we need to accept that this is an ongoing process. We cannot set it and forget it.
Where to start? A good first step is to ask your employees where they already use AI and then run workshops to map other opportunities. Innovation does not happen in an external science lab or in a boardroom. It happens where the work is executed. It has always been this way. Once you have already mapped opportunities, the next step is to do job crafting and redesign the workflows. Also, find tools that genuinely fit your team´s needs and make experiments, tests, and redesign if needed. The goal is to integrate AI into the actual workflow from the start, rather than tacking it on later. It is also important to support people with training on how to use AI effectively. And keep checking in to see how things are working and tweak as necessary.
Don’t Be Left Behind
AI isn’t some future fantasy. It’s right here, right now, and our employees are already using it. The real question is not “if” but “how” we will deal with it. We can cling to old methods and risk being left behind, or we can reshape our work to embrace this shift, making our work humanizing, efficient, and forward-thinking. Let’s shape the future instead of waiting for it to shape us.
Martin Rajasalu, June 2025
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