Hey there, 

Welcome to the first edition of the EXponential AI Newsletter. 🎉 Whether you were one of the first to tinker with DALL-E 2 or are just beginning to explore what AI adoption could mean for your workplace, you’re ahead of the curve by being here. By joining, you’re helping shape the next wave of employee experience.

What do we mean by wave? Let’s zoom out:

• 25 years ago — The workplace ran on search: portals, tabs, click paths, and endless menus just to find the information you needed.
• 2022 — The tipping point: The year generative AI and AI-powered search hit the mainstream.
• Today — Enter, a new era: How we find information and make decisions has inherently changed from searching to sensemaking.

Outside of work, AI adoption is accelerating. But inside the workplace is a different story. A study by OpenAI found that 73% of ChatGPT messages are non-work related.

Call it subtle foreshadowing: employees are already using AI in their personal lives — and it’s only natural they’ll expect the workplace to stay up to speed:

• When the tools work, employees lean in. When they don’t, they check out. Workers who feel their tech enables productivity are 158% more engaged, according to Qualtrics.
• Those same employees have 61% higher intent-to-stay at the company beyond three years. That means the right tech doesn’t just improve performance; it improves retention.

Much of the discourse on AI focuses on job security, but that’s only part of the picture. For employee experience, the real question isn’t just about roles being replaced — it’s about readiness.

How do we equip employees to thrive, stay engaged, and grow as AI reshapes the workplace? Here’s how:

1. Start with trust.

Good news for employers: When it comes to managing AI responsibly, employees trust their employers more than they trust tech giants.

💡 This trust gives employers a unique advantage. Comms, HR, and IT pros: This is your opportunity to roll out AI with credibility and confidence — proving it can be done responsibly, transparently, and in employees’ best interests.

2. You have permission to move… faster.

Employees are more ready for AI than leaders think. Adoption is ahead of expectations, and familiarity with tools is high. Employees are asking for training, support, and clarity — even if they expect AI to replace a third of their work in the future.

“Our research finds the biggest barrier to scaling is not employees—who are ready—but leaders, who are not steering fast enough.”
 —McKinsey & Company

⚠️ The risk isn’t moving too fast: It’s falling behind. Leaders have the permission space to act boldly and capture AI’s value — and the time is now.

3. Frame it as culture, not tech

The organizations that thrive won’t be those with the flashiest AI, but those that use it to help teams move faster, work with autonomy, and collaborate more effectively.

🤝 That means preparing people, not just platforms. Create awareness programs, personalized learning paths, and an environment that encourages curiosity and continuous learning so employees embrace AI with confidence.

The task at hand

The future of work isn’t about flashy tools — it’s defined by people and how they use them to work better together. To make that real, organizations need to:

• Build trust through clarity, governance, and inclusion.
• Deliver relevance with communication that’s contextual, not generic.
• Reach every employee, not just those behind a desk.

We’re at a pivotal moment, shaping a new era of work that is both more impactful and meaningful. The question is — will you be part of it?

Our favorite reads 📖

Rethinking employee experience

AI has rewritten the playbook. Discover how to harness it not just for speed, but for company-wide satisfaction and alignment.

Lead the AI shift

Learn how to show strategic value, deliver ROI, and strengthen your communications strategy using AI in our live webinar with Gallagher.

How global comms teams use AI

More to love 📩   

Kimberly Huang,
Content Marketing Manager