{"id":126428,"date":"2025-04-03T09:00:18","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T13:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trainingindustry.com\/?post_type=magazine&p=126428"},"modified":"2025-04-03T15:52:43","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T19:52:43","slug":"the-human-science-behind-ai-adoption-what-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"magazine","link":"https:\/\/trainingindustry.com\/magazine\/spring-2025\/the-human-science-behind-ai-adoption-what-you-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"The Human Science Behind AI Adoption: What You Need to Know"},"author":34,"featured_media":126479,"template":"","tags":[32625,1169,14213],"class_list":["post-126428","magazine","type-magazine","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-ai-adoption","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-training-industry-magazine","global_topic_tax-artificial-intelligence","global_topic_tax-compliance","global_topic_tax-performance-management","global_topic_tax-personalization-and-learning-pathways","magazine_issue_tax-spring-2025","magazine_article_type_tax-feature"],"acf":{"sponsored":false,"gated":false,"gated_content_type":"","file_attachment":null,"gated_content":"","form_instruction_header":"To access the full article, please fill out the form below:","pardot_html_embed":"","author_override":true,"author_name":"Dr. Grace Chang and Michael Kester","author_image":"","author_bio":"Dr. Grace Chang, associate director of behavioral science and insights at Ernst & Young LLP, is a cognitive neuroscientist with significant experience in learning solutions, assessments and neuroscience-based leadership development.\r\n\r\nMichael Kester is the CEO and founder of Lead Belay, a peer-based leadership development company for emerging leaders, and has expertise in strategies for leadership development, cohort learning and experiential learning. Email the authors<\/a>.","excerpt":"This article explores the challenges workers face and offers tips for navigating these challenges and opportunities at three levels: individuals, teams and organizations.","main_content":"We are living in an extraordinary time when artificial intelligence (AI), specifically generative AI, is transforming every aspect of our lives and work. AI is no longer futuristic; it is here, reshaping industries, communities and daily life. This transformation is thrilling but also provokes profound uncertainty.\r\n\r\nAI can enhance our lives, allowing us to focus more on what gives us purpose and meaning. Yet, many perceive it as threatening what we hold dear: our sense of connection and shared humanity, as well as the meaningfulness of our work and lives. The rise of the internet and social media has already shown how technology can amplify anxiety, depression and disconnection<\/a>. Will AI follow this path, or can we harness it to foster growth, improve relationships and create a more connected and meaningful world?\r\n\r\nThis article explores the challenges workers face and offers tips for navigating these challenges and opportunities at three levels: individuals, teams and organizations. By approaching AI with intention, empathy and care, it can serve as a tool to improve our lives rather than being a source of anxiety.\r\n

Change and Uncertainty<\/h2>\r\nThe human brain is naturally wired to detect and respond to potential threats \u2014 an instinct shaped over millennia for survival. Change, with its inherent uncertainty, can trigger this threat response. Today, even when change doesn\u2019t pose mortal danger, our brain still perceives it as a threat.\r\n\r\nIn the context of AI, we might not face physical danger \u2014 no Terminator-esque robots (yet?)\u00a0\u2014 but AI fundamentally disrupts familiar patterns in work and life, sparking concerns that strike at the heart of our identity and stability.\r\n\r\nMuch of AI\u2019s threat stems from uncertainty: Will it replace jobs? Reshape roles? Create ethical dilemmas? Even small changes at work, like a new co-worker, can cause a flood of emotions. \u201cNatalie seems great, but what\u2019s she going to be like to work with? Will we be friends? Will she one-up me?\u201d AI will likely change the way you and your team work far more radically than any new team member. At a minimum, using AI at work is like having a new assistant and may mean changes to your team structure and the very nature of your job. Feeling trepidation is natural \u2014 our brains are hardwired for it.\r\n\r\nAI can drastically alter work and societal norms. Many fear their hard-earned skills will become obsolete, while others are uncertain about what AI\u2019s rise means for their career and the value they bring. This uncertainty is worsened by a lack of clear guidance on how to prepare for and adapt to these changes. We\u2019re all facing a deluge of AI-related information, including tools, training and media, which can lead to cognitive overload<\/a>, making it difficult to act with confidence.\r\n\r\nTo make matters worse, the adoption strategy of AI is often unclear and highly inconsistent across an organization. This leaves employees struggling with mixed messages, unclear expectations and insufficient role-specific training. This misalignment increases stress and highlights the need for clearer guidance and support. Additionally, AI introduces governance and ethics challenges. Many companies lack clear policies on AI use, intellectual property and data privacy, leading to inconsistent messaging about acceptable AI applications and ethical uncertainty.\r\n\r\nTeam leaders face additional challenges guiding their teams amid uncertainties. Leaders may experience cognitive dissonance when enforcing outdated or unclear policies while trying to help their teams be more productive and engaged. This challenge is compounded when teams collaborating with one another have very different approaches to using AI.\r\n

How Threat Affects Us<\/h2>\r\nTo understand how change and uncertainty affect us, we must understand our brain\u2019s wiring. When faced with ambiguity or threats, the amygdala, which processes emotions, becomes more active<\/a>. This triggers physiological changes, including hormone release, leading to high arousal and a \u201cfight or flight\u201d response.\r\n\r\nSome arousal, like facing a deadline, can improve our performance. However, when perceived threats trigger the fight or flight response it impairs executive functions<\/a> like planning, reasoning and decision-making. Thinking becomes less flexible, causing us to rely on habits, which diminishes innovation.\r\n\r\nThe prefrontal cortex, responsible for these executive functions, plays a crucial role<\/a> in regulating the amygdala\u2019s response to stress. <\/em><\/strong>Chronic stress from ongoing threats can impair the prefrontal cortex\u2019s ability<\/a> to regulate the amygdala, leading to prolonged stress responses and further impairing cognitive functions. Additionally, prolonged exposure to stress hormones due to chronic stress decreases emotional regulation and increases fear and anxiety<\/a>. It also causes cognitive fatigue<\/a>, which further impairs adaptation and innovation. This means that knowledge workers, who rely on cognitive flexibility and creativity, may struggle most during AI-driven change.\r\n

Recommendations for Individuals<\/h2>\r\nFor individuals, navigating AI adoption begins with self-awareness and a growth mindset \u2014 believing that skills and abilities can be developed through effort and learning instead of a fixed mindset, which assumes talents are innate and unchangeable. From there, approaching AI with curiosity and a willingness to learn allows professionals to address fears, embrace opportunities and transform uncertainty into growth.\r\n