AI Doesn’t Have Favorites—And That’s Changing Everything at Work

By Tasha | AI Executive Coach & Human-Centered Tech Advocate

“We are not as productive as we are busy. We are only as effective as we are honest about our capacity.”

When I started coaching executives in the AI space, I expected to talk about tools. Platforms. Maybe a few ethical dilemmas.

What I didn’t expect was how emotional the topic of “workload” would be.

Because let’s be honest—we’ve all sat in a meeting where someone says they’re “at capacity”... and we nod sympathetically, even if no one knows what that means. Or we’ve seen Joe somehow take on three more initiatives without breaking a sweat, while Maria fights to get sign-off for just one of hers.

Now, with AI tools embedded into workforce planning, the data is starting to talk.

And it’s telling a very different story.

AI Is Revealing What We've All Felt: We're Over Capacity

I recently sat with a leader looking at a dashboard for the first time that showed employee workload percentages powered by AI.

One of their top performers—someone they'd never worried about—was logging the equivalent of 85 hours a week. Quietly. Consistently. Without ever complaining.

"She never said anything," they whispered.

Of course she didn’t.

That’s what’s so fascinating (and sobering) about what AI is bringing to the surface. By looking across projects, historical trends, and task weighting, AI is calculating not just who’s working hard—but who’s working too hard. And for the first time, companies are seeing the truth, unvarnished.

Data Doesn't Play Favorites

Let’s talk about the old way. Proposals got greenlit because the right person vouched for it.

Or someone pulled emotional strings: “You know how much we’ve already sunk into this… let’s just keep going.” Or worse, decisions were based on who was in the room and who took who to lunch.

AI doesn’t care about that.

It evaluates Option A, B, and C based on deliverables, projected timelines, historical success rates, and resource strain. Sometimes it spits back a hybrid—“Take the data model from B, the UX from C, and drop A altogether.”

It can be a little unnerving.

But also… freeing.

Because now, decision-making doesn’t hinge on likability or lobbying. It hinges on logic.

What Does This Mean for Leaders?

Here’s where I’ve been coaching most: emotional unhooking.

AI is showing us the math behind the madness. That we’ve been underestimating workloads, misaligning teams, and over-investing in things that don’t scale. But to receive this data well? You need emotional maturity.

You need to stop taking it personally.

You need to stop overworking your stars just because they’re quiet.

And you need to stop assigning based on gut and start assigning based on fit.

The Future Isn’t Cold—It’s Clear

AI isn’t dehumanizing the workplace. It’s just stripping away the parts that never served us: favoritism, confusion, guesswork.

When used right, AI won’t replace your judgment. It will sharpen it.

It helps leaders see what’s really going on. And for once, everyone’s working from the same sheet of music.

And in that kind of workplace?

There’s more room for clarity, compassion, and sanity.

And yes… maybe even a 40-hour workweek.

Want more like this?

Explore how I coach executives to lead with clarity in an AI-powered world.

Contact me to learn about 1:1 coaching or team strategy sessions.