AI isn’t killing creativity, but is it helping Apathy do the dirty work? In the race to embrace AI, many leaders are missing the real threat lurking in the shadows - not the technology itself, but the erosion of trust, alignment, and engagement within their teams.
As we explored in Who Killed Creativity?, one of the seven suspects responsible for the death of creativity is Apathy—a silent killer that manifests as disengagement, disconnection, and indifference. Today, it seems Apathy has found a powerful new weapon: AI.
A recent Fast Company article reveals a troubling trend. While 92% of corporate leaders plan to increase AI investments, global employee engagement has dropped to just 21%. The disconnect between leadership and the workforce is widening, and AI—ironically intended to boost productivity—is accelerating the divide.
The Rise of Passive Resistance
Disengaged employees don’t resist loudly. They comply quietly. They stop contributing, stop challenging, and eventually, they leave. This passive resistance is the hallmark of Apathy. And when AI is introduced without empathy, transparency, or inclusion, it fuels this resistance. Employees feel sidelined, overwhelmed, and undervalued.
In The Innovation Race, we warned that innovation without alignment is unsustainable. Organizations that push forward with AI adoption while ignoring the human experience risk sabotaging their own transformation efforts.
Leadership Disconnect: The Real Innovation Bottleneck
The problem isn’t AI—it’s how leaders are deploying it. When AI is used to monitor, measure, and mandate without listening, it becomes a tool of control rather than empowerment. The Fast Company article cites Dell’s rigid return-to-office mandates and fast-tracked GenAI rollout as a cautionary tale. The result? Internal backlash and plummeting morale.
Contrast this with Toyota’s Genchi Genbutsu philosophy—“go and see.” Leaders embed themselves in the lived reality of their teams. They observe, understand, and then decide. This human-first approach is what separates innovation leaders from laggards.
Rebuilding Trust in the Age of AI
To counter Apathy, leaders must become curiosity catalysts. They must ask, listen, and act. AI can summarize patterns, but it can’t read the room. It can’t sense tension, notice silence, or interpret nuance. That’s the leader’s job.
Here’s how to start:
- Embed empathy into AI strategy: Involve employees early. Frame AI as a tool for growth, not replacement.
- Close the feedback loop: When people see their input leads to change, trust grows.
- Lead visibly and vulnerably: Own the challenges. Be human. That’s something AI can never be.
The organizations that win the innovation race won’t be the ones that move fastest. They’ll be the ones that stay closest to the ground.
Andrew Grant and Dr Gaia Grant (PhD) are innovation transformation specialists who have spent 30 years travelling the world to look at creativogenic cultures, and why is it that some societies & companies seem to have raced ahead with innovation, while others appear to have been left behind.
They are authors and professional speakers who are best known for their innovation culture development work with top companies worldwide. They have created a number of unique corporate simulations and resources, and have published three international bestseller books: ‘The Innovation Race: How to change a culture to change the game’, ‘Purpose-driven Innovation Leadership’ and ‘Who Killed Creativity?… And How Can We Get it Back?’
Gaia is recognized internationally for her (PhD) breakthrough doctoral research into innovation sustainability through the discipline of Strategy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Sydney Business School, having previously studied creative thinking and innovation with the State University of New York. (MSc & Grad Dip Change Leadership). Gaia has interviewed over 70 global innovation leaders and has conducted surveys with over 4000 participants to identify how to innovate sustainably. She has a specific interest in how executive leaders such as entrepreneurial founders and CEOs can develop ‘ambidextrous’ leadership teams. Gaia was appointed by The Australian Institute of Company Directors and the peak Australian Superannuation Association Fund to research the importance of creating cultures in organization that promote accountability and integrity in innovative ways following the outcomes of the Haynes Royal Commission. They have been featured in/on Harvard Business Review, CCTV, Reuters, Fast Company and the Wall St Journal.
www.tirian.com
