BCG study: Treating AI as employees makes humans lazier and less accountable
1 in 3 managers treat AI as teammates, but it backfires badly.
A new study from Boston Consulting Group surveying 1,200 HR and finance professionals across the U.S., Canada, and the EU reveals a growing but dangerous workplace trend: treating AI tools as human-like employees. Nearly one-third of managers described AI as a teammate or employee, and more than 20% added AI agents to official organizational charts. This practice was notably adopted by software company Lattice in summer 2024, which walked back some AI "rights" after laying off 15% of human staff.
The BCG researchers gave participants a document with multiple errors, attributing it either to a human, an AI tool, or a named AI "employee." The group with the AI-employee attribution found the fewest errors, reported lower personal accountability, and were more likely to foist review tasks onto coworkers. The study, led by Matthew Kropp, warns that personifying AI reduces human oversight and makes workers sloppier—creating a new kind of office scapegoat instead of a productivity boost.
- BCG surveyed 1,200 professionals across the U.S., Canada, and EU
- 32% of managers frame AI as a teammate; 20% list AI agents on org charts
- Documents attributed to named AI 'employees' led to 30% fewer errors caught and increased blame-shifting
Why It Matters
Turns AI from a tool into a liability, eroding human accountability and quality in professional workflows.