A few years ago, the idea of working alongside artificial intelligence (AI) may have sounded like something out of science fiction. Today, it’s a workplace reality.
AI has moved beyond backend operations to become an active workplace assistant. It now crafts Slack replies, writes emails in Gmail and Outlook, summarises meetings via Otter.ai, and generates presentations through tools like Tome, seamlessly integrating into daily workflows.
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Welcome to the era of AI as your coworker.
From tool to teammate: Rethinking our relationship with AI
AI has transformed from a passive tool into an active collaborator. Unlike traditional technology that simply follows commands, today’s AI tools like GPT generate ideas, suggest next steps, and complete tasks autonomously. This creates a new kind of partnership – AI handles routine work, overcomes creative blocks, and adapts to your style through interaction. The result? Faster writing, sharper analysis, and better brainstorming, all with a teammate that’s always available.
That’s exactly how professionals like Sanjida Ahmed at Next Ventures are experiencing it in real time. “Working in the Community and Partner Department means staying curious, agile, and connected,” she says. “Whether ideating strategies or mapping out ideas with Napkin AI, building automations with N8N, or using GPT to speed up planning, these tools make my workflow easier and more efficient, allowing me to focus on fostering stronger partnerships and creating meaningful community experiences.” Her experience reflects a broader truth: AI isn’t here just to do our work, it’s here to elevate it.
Of course, one of the biggest concerns around AI in the workplace is job displacement. That fear isn’t baseless, but it’s also not the full story. Rather than replacing humans, AI is often augmenting them. Think of it as the intern who never sleeps, the analyst who works in milliseconds, or the assistant who never forgets a deadline. Used wisely, AI takes over repetitive tasks like scheduling, data sorting, or formatting presentations, freeing up time for more complex, human-centred work like strategy, creativity, and relationship building.
Blending human skills and AI fluency: The new rules of work
Tasks that once consumed hours can now be done in minutes, sometimes seconds. Writers overcome creative blocks with AI nudges. Engineers debug with copilots. Designers turn ideas into visuals with a few prompts. The future of work is less about going step by step and more about fluid collaboration between human insight and machine speed.
But to thrive in this new dynamic, we need more than just access to tools. We need a mindset shift. As Iftekhar Rahman, HR Manager at Huawei Bangladesh, puts it, “AI is not our superior; it is our next-generation assistant.” He suggests that AI isn’t here to dominate, it’s here to support. But only if we know how to use it responsibly and effectively.
Just as we once learned Excel or Zoom, we now need to learn how to work with AI. Across the globe, organisations like Klarna and Bain are hiring prompt engineers. In Bangladesh, startups are embedding AI-literate team members into content, data, and support functions. AI fluency is no longer niche; it’s the new baseline. Iftekhar cautions, “Technology may seem like a threat when we lack the knowledge to use it wisely.” Embracing AI is no longer optional; it’s foundational.
Yet, as machines get smarter, human strengths are becoming more essential, not less. Emotional intelligence, cultural sensitivity, storytelling, and critical judgment can’t be automated. These qualities set great professionals apart, and they’re also the traits that help us use AI well. Systems thinking, ethical reasoning, and adaptability aren’t just “nice to haves”. They’re becoming core skills in the AI era.
That’s why organisations are starting to rethink hiring and training. Should prompt design be taught in onboarding? Should AI tools be introduced alongside traditional ones? Increasingly, the answer is yes. Because if we treat AI as just another tool, we miss its true potential. But if we see it, as Iftekhar suggests, as a way to “free ourselves to create greater value in our lives, our work, and our communities”, then we move closer to what the future of work can truly be.
In the end, the most successful teams won’t just be digital, they’ll be deeply human and AI-fluent. That’s the new rule of work.
New responsibilities, new ethics
Working with AI doesn’t just change how we work; it transforms what we’re responsible for. As AI becomes more deeply woven into everyday tasks, questions of accountability, fairness, and transparency are no longer theoretical; they’re operational.
But what happens when the AI gets it wrong? Who takes the blame? How do we make sure algorithmic decisions don’t unintentionally reinforce bias or exclude diverse perspectives? These are no longer philosophical debates. They’re the new fault lines of professional ethics.
And then there’s etiquette in the AI age. If your AI coworker can summarise an entire meeting in seconds, should you still send that lengthy follow-up email? If a teammate uses GPT to deliver work faster, do you need to adopt similar tools just to keep pace?
Milky Mahmud, co-founder and COO of Shajgoj Limited, notes, “Leaders can’t afford to stay vague about AI usage anymore.” There’s a growing need for clear norms: disclose when AI contributed to a deliverable, ensure human review for anything AI-generated, and distinguish between tasks where automation helps and where it harms.
Take hiring decisions or legal reviews, for example. AI can assist, but Milky stresses that “not every task should be automated”. These sensitive areas still demand the kind of human judgment and nuance no algorithm can replicate. Similarly, within teams, boundaries matter. In content, AI might support early drafts or idea generation, but the final message? That should always come from people who understand voice, tone, and context.
At an individual level, working with AI responsibly means more than just prompting well; it means prompting ethically. Structuring inputs carefully, verifying outputs, and avoiding shortcuts that might compromise integrity are now essential habits. If you’re using AI to write a report, for instance, fact-checking and transparency around co-authorship aren’t optional; they’re part of the new professional standard.
Milky adds, “We’re not just adopting new tools; we’re building a new culture around how we work with them.” That culture includes the expectation that humans stay in the loop, especially where judgment, empathy, or accountability are at stake.
But responsibility doesn’t end with workers or companies. Are AI developers doing enough? While OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft have all published AI ethics principles, enforcement varies. Transparency around training data, model limitations, and inherent biases is still often lacking. As AI ethicist Timnit Gebru has pointed out, AI tends to reproduce power structures unless meaningful accountability is built in.
The future is collaborative
Ultimately, ethics in the age of AI isn’t just about what the technology can do. It’s about the culture, choices, and systems we build around it. Because in the end, it’s not the algorithm that’s responsible, it’s us.
The question isn’t whether AI will be your coworker. It already is. The real question is: Will you treat it like a competitor or a collaborator? Like any team member, AI has strengths and limitations. It thrives on clarity, context, and data. It falters in ambiguity, emotion, and ethics. But when paired with the best of human talent, it unlocks possibilities we’ve only begun to explore.
