5 Ways to Move from ‘Toying’ to Working with AI

Sure, it’s easy enough to be one of the 45% of workers who uses AI daily at work for tasks like editing memos or finding statistics or drafting slides. But what about incorporating AI into workflows, in ways that expand productivity and quality—and, you know, changes the game?

That’s a hard ask. And it’s precisely the request that managers are presenting to their teams in 2026. “Employees are left to figure out how to respond to AI mandates,” says Karena Man, senior client partner in the Technology and Digital practice at Korn Ferry. “The dirty secret is that managers are also unsure.” Indeed, getting started is overwhelming for anyone, techie or not. That’s because while many employees are quite comfortable using AI for one-off tasks (such as summarizing or analyzing one thing), managers are now looking for systemic and proactive thinking—which is a new trick for most employees. The only way forward, says Man, is to lean into the novelty of AI and test drive it. Here’s where to start:

Put AI to work as a strategic analyst.

AI is a great partner for strengthening strategies until they’re bomb proof. Challenge assumptions, pressure test logic, identify risks, and question framing. “I find that AI is good for enhancing my judgment quality,” says Man.

Ask AI to identify patterns.

AI is excellent at spotting repetitions. Examples include: In meetings, which topics consistently cause conflict? Who dominates conversations? What are the top five problems behind 1,000 support tickets? Which headlines drive engagement? Which processes are entirely dependent on one person, creating risk concentration?

Use AI to highlight risks.

Post-mortems are so 2023. AI can service a similar purpose—before the project even starts. Give a prompt such as, “Assume this project fails in 6 months. List the most likely reasons and early warning indicators.” “It acts as a pre-mortem,” says Paul Fogel, sector leader in the Professional Search practice at Korn Ferry.

Create transferable procedures with AI.

Sure, you might be using AI effectively, but you can multiply the impact by capturing your work, so that other people on your team can do the same? Think checklists, playbooks, and decision trees for everything from handling challenging customers to crisis management. “You can create repeatable processes for others to follow,” says Fogel. 

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