by Jordan Harrod (Last Updated: July 21, 2025)
Your company just announced they're "embracing AI transformation." Everyone needs to use the new AI tools. There are mandatory training sessions. Your boss keeps talking about "efficiency gains" and "staying competitive."
Meanwhile, you tried the AI tool and it sucks. It takes longer than doing things the old way. It gives you weird suggestions that don't make sense for your actual work.
But everyone's acting like you're a dinosaur if you don't love it.
Here's the thing: You're not going crazy. Most workplace AI rollouts are terrible.
It wasn't designed for your actual job. Most AI tools are built by people who've never done your specific work. They make assumptions about your workflow that are completely wrong.
Nobody asked what you actually needed. Leadership saw a demo that looked cool and decided everyone should use it. They didn't ask what problems you're actually trying to solve.
The training was probably garbage (assuming there was training in the first place). You got a 30-minute overview of features, not guidance on whether/how to integrate it into your real workflow. In the US especially, most companies just implement AI tools and expect you to figure it out.
Your data is a mess. AI tools work best with clean, organized information. Your actual work involves messy, context-dependent stuff that doesn't fit neat categories.
You're already overwhelmed. A Microsoft study found that people often offload critical thinking to AI tools not because they're lazy, but because they're under pressure, on deadlines, haven't been properly trained, and don't have time to fact-check or quality control the outputs. You're being told to use AI while juggling an impossible workload.
Before you write off all AI tools (tempting as it is), here's how to tell if something might actually help:
The 10-Minute Test: