MW Threatening to fire employees is no way to get them on board with AI
By Amy Eliza Wong
Companies want workers to embrace AI - but a hardline ultimatum will backfire
AI technology works. But the rollout to the workforce doesn't.
Open communication and collaboration unlock AI's potential far more effectively than ultimatums
Companies pushing AI adoption on employees through fear are using the wrong motivator. Fear-driven mandates rarely inspire innovation. More often, they create performative compliance that looks like progress but actually limits a company's growth.
IgniteTech's recent ultimatum is a good example. The company was blunt when it told employees to spend 20% of their week on AI or lose their job. The CEO framed it as company survival. He's not alone. Accenture $(ACN)$, Concentrix and others have issued similar edicts.
AI technology works. But the rollout to the workforce doesn't. McKinsey's recent workplace study found many companies moving faster than their workers can adapt, underinvesting in communication, trust and training. EY reports that while 84% of U.S. workers are enthusiastic about using AI, more than half cite poor leadership communication as the main barrier.
The problem isn't just technical; it's neurological. Neuroscience expert David Rock's SCARF model shows that threats to status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness or fairness trigger the brain's protection mode. When leaders act from fear of obsolescence, being outpaced or irrelevance, they activate those same threat responses in employees. Protection mode narrows cognition. It rarely accelerates it.
Organizations that mistake anxiety for urgency tend to get compliance for employees instead of curiosity. The paradox is that AI promises exponential growth, yet fear-based adoption suppresses the very innovation that companies seek. Reskilling and integration depend on psychological safety and the freedom to learn and experiment, not an existential threat.
When fear takes over, attention turns inward: Am I safe? Am I next?
As executives learn to navigate this transition, one pattern stands out: The real barrier isn't capability, it's attention.
When fear takes over, attention turns inward: Am I safe? Am I next? That inward focus breeds rigidity, silos and performative adoption. In a transformation this fundamental, those defensive postures carry real costs.
Effective leadership redirects that attention outward toward customers, purpose and shared impact. When people feel connected to something larger than self-preservation, trust rises. Ideas flow. Risk tolerance grows.
The question isn't whether uncertainty about AI and the workplace exists. It's how leaders respond to it.
Microsoft's $(MSFT)$ Copilot rollout reflects this principle. By framing AI as augmentation rather than replacement, the company lowered psychological defenses and sparked genuine curiosity. The language mattered. Stance shapes culture.
Think of attention like headlights. Pointed inward, they blind you. Pointed outward, they illuminate the path forward. The brain's conflict detector, the anterior cingulate cortex, activates in uncertainty. Met with fear, it triggers threat responses. Met with connection, it enables creativity and problem-solving.
The question isn't whether uncertainty about AI and the workplace exists. It's how leaders respond to it.
Forward-thinking organizations are reframing the conversation. Instead of asking, "Who's resisting AI?" they ask, "What are people afraid of losing?" Instead of mandating adoption, they create space for exploration. The McKinsey and EY studies highlight that open communication and collaboration unlock AI's potential far more effectively than ultimatums.
Fear of rejection is deeply human. When people feel evaluated under threat, they protect themselves. When they feel safe to co-create, they rise to the challenge.
The leaders who will define the AI era aren't those who push hardest but those who make it safe to learn in public, to experiment, to stumble and to grow together. They model the shift from defensive to generative thinking. They direct attention toward possibility, not just survival, and bring their teams along.
Fear can spark motion, but it rarely sustains momentum. Harnessing AI's promise requires pairing technical acceleration with emotional maturity. Before issuing another mandate or performance review, leaders should pause and ask: What stance am I taking right now? Is my team protecting or progressing?
The future of work cannot be built on fear. It will be built by those who know how to navigate through it.
Amy Eliza Wong is an advisor to Silicon Valley companies, author, and founder of Always on Purpose.
More: The biggest threat to your job isn't AI. It's that you're still afraid of AI.
Plus: Job layoffs are being pinned on AI - that's just what these CEOs want you to believe
-Amy Eliza Wong
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December 20, 2025 10:38 ET (15:38 GMT)
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