Companies want workers using AI. What happens if they get their wish?

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Impact Link Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in. This post originally appeared in the Business Insider Today newsletter. You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here. Ask not what your company can do for you — ask what your vibe-coded AI agent can do for your company. Loading audio narration... -JFK (probably)The best way to show your value at work these days? Let AI do the talking. Meta, Google, and JPMorgan have thrown down the gauntlet over AI usage. Their approaches might differ — sometimes it's a carrot, sometimes it's a stick — but the message is the same: use AI, or else.The push makes sense given the money companies are investing in AI. As those bills pile up, you can bet they want their employees to use the tech. That doesn't make the pitch any easier. People still worry that the tools they're using could ultimately replace them.The problems don't end when everyone starts using AI. Say a company reaches full AI adoption. (And let's be honest, it's heading that way.)Then what? Three new problems come to mind:What's the reward? Like the millennial lifestyle subsidy, AI-usage perks are probably too expensive to last forever. When they dry up, how do you keep people bought into the tech? That's especially tricky for the workers who've cracked the code on using AI to be more productive. If companies aren't willing to pay them more, but still expect that higher level of output, there's a potential disconnect. Quality vs quantity. Gamifying cuts both ways. Push workers to use AI, and some will start opting for output over substance. Suddenly, you're overrun with AI slop or a bunch of AI agents you don't fully control. Meanwhile, that constant level of automation means workers risk losing their core skills.Keeping costs in check. This AI stuff isn't free. The compute needed to power these tools is quickly becoming one of CFOs' top concerns. That's leading some companies to rein in workers' usage to keep costs from climbing too high. It's a tricky dynamic: use AI to be productive, just don't go too crazy. Maybe you think I'm putting the horse before the cart. Getting everyone to consistently use AI is a big enough problem. But with trillions of dollars at stake, it's worth looking ahead to what the next big challenge could be.Because getting people to use AI is one battle. Figuring out what comes next is the real war.