Editor's note: Posts published on From the Workplace are written by outside contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of SHRM.
As organizations expand access to AI tools and training, adoption has become a familiar measure of progress. But knowing how many employees use AI tells us little about whether they are using it well. The State of AI in HR, a report from SHRM, underscores that distinction. While 87% of HR professionals using AI reported improvements in efficiency, half reported no improvement in their decision-making.
When AI is available for nearly any task, employees face a new decision: Should I do this work myself, partner with AI, or hand it off entirely? People answer that question differently, even when they have access to the same technology and training. Those differences matter because AI adoption is not simply a technology challenge. It is increasingly a human capability challenge.
Recognizing Our AI Defaults
I developed AI Archetypes as a practitioner framework for understanding the different ways people naturally engage with AI. It identifies six common modes:
The Craftsman prefers to think through the work independently before bringing AI into the process.
The Collaborator uses AI as a thinking partner to generate ideas and refine thinking.
The Curator asks AI to widen the possibilities but keeps judgment and decision-making firmly in human hands.
The Accelerator readily delegates work to AI when it can increase speed and efficiency.
The Guardian makes intentional, values-based choices about work that should remain human.
The Tinkerer learns through experimentation and is willing to try new AI capabilities before the path is fully clear.
These are not personality types or maturity levels, and no archetype represents the right way to use AI. They describe defaults. Most people will move among several depending on the task while naturally gravitating toward certain patterns. That distinction creates an opportunity for HR leaders.
From Adoption to Capability
Instead of asking only, “How do we get more employees using AI?” organizations can ask different questions:
- Where does AI genuinely improve the work?
- Where should human judgment lead?
- Are employees developing the ability to recognize the difference?
Managers can use those questions to coach employees beyond their defaults. An Accelerator may need to slow down when speed could compromise quality. A Craftsman may need to recognize when AI can enhance rather than diminish expertise. A Guardian may help a team identify moments where empathy, trust, and human presence matter most.
The objective is not to move everyone toward the same archetype. It is to help people recognize their defaults and develop the judgment to move beyond them when the situation requires it. That requires more than AI training. Capability develops through repeated practice in the work itself: deciding what should remain human, where AI can strengthen thinking, and what can responsibly be delegated.
Organizations can measure adoption. The harder task is developing judgment. As AI becomes more capable, the differentiator will not simply be who uses it most. It will be who learns to use it intentionally.
Czarina Ramsay is a leadership development and organizational capability strategist with nearly two decades of experience leading leadership, learning, and workforce capability strategies at organizations including Meta, Walgreens, and Starbucks.
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