September 24, 2026, (Inside AI) — As generative AI tools become ubiquitous in corporate settings, a growing debate is emerging over how executives should use them for communication without sacrificing the human judgment and empathy that effective leadership demands. In a recent episode of the HBR IdeaCast, Stanford professor Matt Abrahams and Zapier CEO Wade Foster explored the benefits and pitfalls of AI-assisted communication, offering practical guidance for leaders navigating this new terrain.
The conversation, part of a four-part series on AI and leadership, highlighted a central tension: AI can help leaders synthesize vast amounts of information, structure ideas, and prepare for high-stakes conversations, but overreliance risks creating a "comprehension gap" and eroding authentic human connection. Both experts agreed that while AI is a powerful tool, it must be used with clear boundaries and a strong emphasis on judgment.
AI as Thought Partner, Not Ghostwriter
Abrahams, author of Think Faster, Talk Smarter and host of the podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart, sees AI as a valuable tool for jumpstarting the communication process. "It is a great way when you're staring at a blank screen to get yourself started," he said. "But it's really important that you look at the output, that you think about it, and that you actually reflect on, is this serving the goal that I have?"
Foster, whose company Zapier specializes in automation, uses AI extensively to ingest and summarize internal communications. "I can point an agent at all the data sources inside of a company... and get summaries of most anything that's going on," he said. However, he cautioned that AI-generated summaries can be directionally correct but often require verification. "You do have to be a little careful," he noted.
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Both leaders emphasized that AI should not replace critical thinking. "Communication is operationalized critical thinking," Abrahams said. "If we outsource that critical thinking and then are put on the spot to answer questions, people get really anxious because they realize they don't have that depth of knowledge."
The Authenticity Crisis and the Comprehension Gap
A key concern raised during the discussion was the risk of AI homogenizing communication, leading to what Abrahams calls an "authenticity crisis." As AI-generated content becomes more common, distinguishing human voice from machine output grows harder. "We never truly know what somebody is saying, if it's really theirs or if it's AI," he said.
Foster shared a related worry: the "comprehension gap" that emerges when individuals delegate too much of their thinking to AI. "As you get asked questions about this thing... you realize, 'Oh, I don't actually know enough about this area that I should,'" he explained. To counter this, Foster has customized his AI models to challenge his assumptions. "I want you to debate with me, critique me," he tells them.
Abrahams advised leaders to signal their humanness through small imperfections and personal insights. "A few filler words here or there, a few hesitations, that signals humanness," he said. He also recommended training AI on one's own voice to maintain authenticity while leveraging its efficiency.
Foster, who has built a "Wade bot" trained on his writing, finds that AI only gets "80, 90% of the way there." He intentionally rejects suggestions that make him sound overly polished. "I have raw edges. I'm not a perfect human being and I don't like that it's sort of sanding me down," he said.
The discussion also touched on the need for organizational guidelines. Abrahams stressed that leaders must model appropriate AI use. "Share when and how AI should be used," he said. "Declare when and where AI is used so people have an appreciation for what your actual thinking is versus what the AI is thinking."
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Foster added that context matters. "The author should put more effort in than the reader," he said, suggesting that transparency about AI's role—whether as author, coauthor, or assistant—helps set expectations.
Looking ahead, both experts agreed that certain tasks should never be fully delegated. "Never automate empathy," Abrahams said. "You have to be person to person, not pixel to pixel." Foster emphasized the importance of human curiosity and judgment. "Your ability to actually care about the work and high judgment... that is still 10 out of 10 valuable," he said.
As AI continues to reshape workplace communication, the challenge for leaders will be balancing efficiency with efficacy, ensuring that technology enhances rather than replaces the human connection at the heart of effective leadership.
