AI in Leadership Communication: Risks and Best Practices

The Rise of AI in Workplace Communication

According to a recent Gallup report, individual AI use at work has risen steadily in the past year. More than half of U.S. workers (52%) now use AI in their role, with 30% using it frequently and 15% using it daily.

Generative AI is giving professionals and leaders communication capabilities that would have been almost unimaginable just a few years ago. In seconds, we can turn rough ideas into polished emails, presentations, articles, talking points and strategic messages. We can adjust tone, simplify complex concepts, anticipate questions and tailor messages for different audiences. This speed and flexibility allow leaders to respond more quickly to emerging situations and ensure their messaging is clear and consistent across various platforms, freeing up time for more strategic thinking and meaningful human interaction.

The Believability Gap and Leadership Risks

As AI makes communication easier, a new risk emerges for leaders. The World Economic Forum reported on a study in the International Journal of Business Communication examining perceptions of AI use in workplace writing. When supervisors heavily used AI for routine communication tasks, respondents began to question the sender’s confidence, sincerity and ability. This phenomenon is described as a “believability gap.”

The problem arises when we transfer to AI the human work that strong leadership requires. Communication is not merely word production; it is a primary way people experience our thinking, judgment, values, and strategic direction. These capabilities must be continually exercised. If our first move is to ask AI “What should I say?” before doing deeper thinking ourselves, we risk outsourcing part of the leadership work itself—not just the writing. As McKinsey argues, leaders must use AI to “think with them, not for them.”

The Hidden Work Behind Leadership Communication

Consider what must happen before a leader communicates an important message. They have to determine what they actually believe, what matters most to them and their audience, what their team needs from them, what they are prepared to stand behind, and what people may be worried or confused about but aren’t saying. These questions require sophistication of thought, reflection, discernment, and strong judgment.

AI can help explore these questions. But if our first move is to ask AI, “What should I say?” before we’ve done that deeper thinking ourselves, we’ve potentially outsourced part of the leadership work—not merely the writing. McKinsey has argued that leaders who thrive in the AI era will need to combine digital fluency with human depth and learn to use AI to “think with them, not for them.” That’s a powerful distinction for leadership communication as well.

Preserving Your Voice and Developing Discernment

Your voice is much more than your writing style. While stylistic traits like word choice and humor matter, your professional voice also reveals your way of seeing—what you notice that others overlook, the connections you make from your experience, and what you’re willing to say that others may not. That’s why simply prompting an AI tool isn’t enough. Train it to understand your particular tone, mindset, and values. Give it examples of your strongest work and teach it to use the “lens” you apply in leading.

But even training AI on your voice isn’t sufficient. You also have to push back. If AI suggests a phrase you’d never use, remove it. If its framing feels generic, challenge it. If it shifts your meaning to sound cleaner, bring it back to what you actually mean. Otherwise, you can begin communicating more like AI.

Think and strategize first, then collaborate with AI. Ask it to challenge your assumptions or surface questions you haven’t considered. This isn’t replacing your thinking; it’s strengthening it.

Finally, don’t automate away the difficulties you need to grow. The new advantage lies in knowing what to delegate to AI—and what to keep firmly in your own hands.