How to Survive AI as a Non-Believer With a Psychotic Boss

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Your opinion about AI is irrelevant. It’s the hiring manager’s opinion that matters. And the opinion of your boss. And the boss of your boss. And so on all the way to the top. They’re all obsessed with AI. The higher you go in the org chart the greater the chance to encounter an acute case of AI psychosis. They want to add AI to everything. They want to be an AI-first company. They want their employees to master AI, so they get AI-enhanced workflows and AI-enabled productivity growth.

These people have thoroughly bought the AI story, even if you didn’t. You might be the smartest person around, but it doesn’t matter. The market doesn’t run on truth but on what your boss happens to be obsessed with. That’s AI. So be the AI guy—that’s your only future-proof strategy. But I will teach you a secret: you can be his AI guy without being an AI bro.

TIP 1: When your boss sends an article about AI to the team Slack, respond within 2 minutes. Something like “this tracks with what I’ve been seeing” or “the bit about [subheading] is key.” Never mention the word “slop” in his presence.

I’ve already shared this painful observation in another post where I provided plenty of data points backing up my assertion that your boss is indeed obsessed with AI. To be honest, I don’t think you needed the data. You see the job postings, you’re there in the meetings, you’ve got an acute case of tired eyeball from rolling them up. The job market and the workplace have gone crazy. You’re the only one standing there with a straight face and your teeth clenched. Even if you think AI is useful (I do), you know the obsession has gone too far.

This post is a continuation of that one. I think realizing that AI is not about belief but about pragmatism is a powerful mindset change (perhaps the biggest there is for the “aware but skeptical” crowd, which I think is the majority). Actually, I can literally save your life. Or at least keep you at your job for a bit longer, which in a world of precarious livelihoods and looming automation, amounts to the same.

Knowing that your boss is on a high of AI psychosis doesn’t change what you have to do: match his obsession and enthusiasm. This is the most important takeaway here. You can leave now, although you probably shouldn’t.