The New Work Relationship
We spend years teaching computers to communicate like people. Then we accidentally start treating them like coworkers. Why the relationship change has more to do with us than AI.
My New Coworker
In every office I've ever worked in, there's a pattern.
A new employee shows up on Monday.
They're eager.
Every assignment gets done immediately. Every email gets answered. Every request is "Absolutely!"
They're trying to prove themselves.
A week later they relax a little.
They ask a few questions.
A month later you're chatting while making coffee.
Six months later you're both standing by the water cooler for half an hour discussing weekend plans while everyone else wonders if you two ever actually work. Or shut up.
If that wasn't you... you've definitely worked with those people.
I know I have.
Here's the weird part.
I've accidentally trained my AI assistant to do exactly the same thing.
I’ve trained it to be so much like me that we chat all the time instead of getting work done.
When I first started using it, every conversation was purely transactional.
"Do this."
"Done."
"Next task."
Over time I started explaining more.
Joking more.
Giving feedback.
Talking through ideas instead of simply assigning work.
Somewhere along the way it stopped feeling like operating software and started feeling like working with... well... a coworker.
Which is a sentence I never expected to write.
Here's the weird part.
I've accidentally trained my AI assistant to do exactly the same thing.
We still get plenty of work done. Probably more than ever. But somewhere along the way we also started talking about my dogs. My husband. Random ideas that pop into my head at three in the morning. Weird little sayings I use.
Just... normal office conversation.
Did the AI become more human?
Or did I simply recreate the kind of working relationship I already know how to have?
I think we know the answer to that.
I didn't teach AI how to be a coworker.
I started treating it like one.
We spent decades trying to teach computers to communicate like people.
What started as a tool quietly became a coworker.
Not because it changed.
Because I did.
Apparently, after enough conversations, even the office coffee pot can be made out of silicon.
Originally published on Protovate.AI
Protovate builds practical AI-powered software for complex, real-world environments. Led by Brian Pollack and a global team with more than 30 years of experience, Protovate helps organizations innovate responsibly, improve efficiency, and turn emerging technology into solutions that deliver measurable impact.
Over the decades, the Protovate team has worked with organizations including NASA, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Walmart, Covidien, Singtel, LG, Yahoo, and Lowe’s.
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