Using ChatGPT at Work? Your Boss May Trust You Less
A new study raises a question many professionals have been quietly asking: does using AI at work change how managers see you? Researchers led by Samuel Meyers, a Ph.D. student, with Dr. Yochanan Bigman of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Dr. Roman Briker of WHU in Germany, suggest that employees who use ChatGPT and other AI tools may pay an unexpected professional price. Their managers may be less likely to trust them.
The finding matters because AI is often framed purely as a productivity boost. Speed and output are only part of the picture. If trust is affected, it can shape how work is assigned, how autonomy is granted and how advancement is considered.
For leaders, this is a prompt to talk openly with teams about when and how AI is used. For employees, transparency about AI use may be as important as the results it produces. The career impact of AI is still being understood, and workplace norms are likely to evolve.
Key points
- What happened A new study led by Samuel Meyers and researchers from Hebrew University and WHU suggests AI use at work may affect how managers see workers.
- The key finding Workers who use ChatGPT and other AI tools may be less likely to be trusted by their managers, even as AI can boost speed and productivity.
- Why it matters AI may help employees work faster, but hidden effects on trust could shape careers. Transparency about AI use may become increasingly important.