AI enhances efficiency, but it can’t build trust.

“We’re very good at creating tools, but not so good at knowing what to do with them.” Yuval Noah Harari

Artificial intelligence no longer simply supports business processes — it is reshaping the very meaning of work. This transformation transcends traditional performance metrics like speed, productivity, and efficiency. It is redefining human presence at work — our decisions, sense of responsibility, and even our self-worth.

The 2025 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends Report raises the most crucial question of this new era. How can organizations build an employee value proposition (EVP) that positions AI not as a threat but as a companion? It should preserve human dignity, purpose, and potential.

When AI Becomes a Colleague

According to the report, 60% of employees now consider AI a ‘coworker.’ But this new teammate doesn’t join you for a coffee break. It is an invisible partner — silently yet fundamentally altering the nature of work. As a result, organizations are being compelled to completely rethink their people-centered value propositions.

As Deloitte emphasizes, the real value of AI lies not in replacing humans, but in augmenting human potential.

Do We Need a New Work Ethic?

As AI increasingly integrates into the workplace, it is subtly — and often silently — shaping the employee experience.

According to the report:

1. 77% of employees say AI has increased their workload,
2. 61% say it contributes to burnout,
3. 33% say it has reduced human interaction.

This is not just a technological disruption. It is also a cultural, ethical, and existential rupture. The way we make decisions is changing. We are altering how we evaluate outcomes. Assigning responsibility is also evolving. With these changes comes a profound need for a new work ethic.

Who Is Responsible for Decisions Made by Code?

McKinsey reports that 72% of companies use AI in their operations. Their operations range from performance management to hiring. They also include pricing to risk analysis. Everything is up for automation. But what about accountability?

“The algorithm made that decision” is becoming a common phrase in modern business. But this seemingly simple sentence flags a much deeper ethical dilemma: Who is responsible?

Delegating decisions to machines protect us from mistakes, but it can also absolve us of responsibility. Yet business is not merely a system of outputs; it is a structure of values. And value is not just built on success, but also on fairness, responsibility, and empathy.

Is a Human Just a Data Point?

HR departments now work hand-in-hand with data science. Resumes are scanned, digital footprints analyzed, and even emotions exposed to sentiment analysis. Yet a study by MIT Sloan suggests these systems often replicate — rather than correct — past biases.

AI assesses past performance. But humans are not just data — we represent potential, not just history. And potential is understood not just through data, but through context, intuition, and empathy. That’s why core values like equality, justice, and inclusion are deeply human. They are too important to be left to algorithms.

A New Leadership Model: Connection Over Control

Today’s management models are largely driven by data-optimized decision-making. But leaders who nourish their teams with purpose rather than just metrics solve a problem AI never will: trust.

There are many examples. At Amazon, algorithmic systems that monitored warehouse workers down to their bathroom breaks didn’t boost productivity — they triggered strikes.

Leadership must now be redefined — not just as metric-driven, but meaning-driven. Because people don’t commit to goals; they commit to reasons. AI may enhance efficiency, but it cannot build trust.

What About Human Sustainability?

The traditional sustainability paradigm — environment, economy, and society — must now expand. In the age of AI, it’s not just the ecosystem that’s at risk. The meaning and moral framework of humanity is also at stake.

Thus, sustainable business now means more than just efficient resource use. It must also protect human values.

According to Deloitte, 74% of employees believe it’s critical to go beyond traditional productivity metrics. They think it’s essential to evaluate human performance more holistically.

In the End: Living With Code, or Becoming Code?

Working alongside AI is inevitable. Becoming like it, though, is not.

In this new era, organizations must undergo not only technological transformation, but also ethical renewal.

The new work ethic will be shaped along the fragile boundary between surrendering to algorithms and staying human. And those organizations that defend that boundary will become the truly sustainable actors of the future.

Ultimately, the most valuable skill in tomorrow’s workplace won’t be coding.
It will be protecting conscience and ethics.