Recently, large language models and other forms of generative AI have become talking points across every industry, and internal comms is no exception. With tools that summarize meetings, draft messages, and analyze engagement, it’s easy to get swept up in the promise of increased efficiency. But these tools can often create misinformation and sometimes hallucinate. As we adopt these technologies into our daily productivity, we need to pause and ask: is AI helping us connect with employees more meaningfully?
AI is a tempting solution in a role where timelines are tight, content needs to scale across platforms, and audiences are diverse. But when AI is used solely to speed up output, we risk losing the human tone that effective internal communication is built on.
Instead of replacing the thoughtful work we do, AI should handle the repetitive, time-intensive tasks that take us away from strategy and storytelling. It can be incredibly useful for reformatting content across channels, automating demographic changes, or translating messages for multilingual workforces.
AI also brings potential on the analytics side, being able to spot patterns in feedback or survey responses which help us understand what employees are really thinking and feeling. That insight can help us build stronger relationships and more relevant messaging.
When you talk with your employees about AI, use these three strategies to help employees leverage it for better output, not just more output.
AI requires good reference points to deliver relevant results to your specific problem. Advice employees to create a baseline group of ideas before ever interacting with AI. When they hit a creative block, turn it over to AI to see if it comes up with any solutions they may have missed or adds to any of the existing solutions they came up with originally.
One way you can encourage more out-of-the-box thinking is to prompt AI with your problem, then tell your team those proposed solutions are off-limits. Forcing ourselves to look at problems without the conventional options at our disposal may unlock totally new, highly productive approaches to key problems.
At the end of the day, AI isn’t a reliable or accurate source for any niche. Employees are at the center of the business, and they know their job better than any AI could. Remind them of this expertise and empower them to engage with AI as support mechanism rather than as a leader.
At Tribe, we believe that internal comms is most powerful when it builds understanding, connection, and culture. Our creative team often uses AI to increase our video and audio quality or remove distractions from photos or media. But the voice, intent, and care behind our messages always come from real people.
As AI evolves, we’ll keep exploring how it can help create work that doesn’t just reach inboxes but truly resonates. If you’re struggling to keep up with your internal audience’s growth and perhaps using a bit too much AI to fill in the gaps, consider reaching out to Tribe for help.
