In 2 to 3 years, some of the teenagers in this New York Times piece will be employees.

They’re already using AI for productivity. As well as companionship, boredom relief, emotional processing, role play, fantasy, flirting, reassurance and escape.

That creates a different starting point for work since some will arrive used to systems that are always available, endlessly responsive, tailored to them, and easier than people.

Some may be better at expressing themselves in words. Some may be more comfortable rehearsing difficult conversations. Some may also have lower tolerance for boredom, ambiguity, delayed feedback and the friction of real human relationships.

So the issue for employers is not just AI policy, but what happens when a generation enters work having already spent years relating to machines that simulate attention, intimacy and understanding.

We are not only onboarding people into AI-enabled workplaces. We are about to employ people partly shaped by AI as a social experience.

That is a management, capability and safeguarding issue, not just a technology one.