Just imagine an org chart in which your AI Agents are part of your team, and need to be managed.
Meet your new co-worker, Robby, the Robot.
I met this robot at the SHRM AI+HI Conference last week in San Francisco, where the conversations were all about AI, HI and the future of work.
AI agents are coming to your organization. Will you be ready – culturally?
This was one of the most thought-provoking ideas I heard at the SHRM AI+HI Conference last week in San Francisco, during a session with Jeremiah Owyang, Silicon Valley veteran, investor and host of the AI startup series, Llama Lounge.
He described a future where AI is no longer just a tool or a copilot.
Instead, AI agents may increasingly function like teammates helping execute tasks, coordinate workflows, and support decisions.
But what really stuck with me was his framework for how organizations approach AI.

He described five types of AI cultures:

• AI Resistant – avoiding AI adoption
• AI Follower – waiting to see what works first
• AI Forward – actively experimenting
• AI First – starting with AI when solving problems
• AI Native – companies built from the ground up with AI
That framework makes one thing clear: This isn’t just a technology conversation. It’s a culture conversation.
As I listened, I kept asking myself one question: Where is the Manager EQ in all of this?
Because if employees are expected to work alongside AI agents, adapt to new workflows, and manage rapid change, then emotionally intelligent leadership becomes ever more essential.
Interestingly on the second day of the conference, Van Jones, political analyst, media personality, lawyer, and author, spoke about “Designing for Dignity: Human-Centered AI.”
His message reinforced something I believe deeply: Technology should make work more human, not less.

Managers will still need to:

• build trust
• support people through uncertainty
• coach performance
• set healthy expectations
• and prevent burnout
AI may increase productivity, but without emotionally intelligent leadership guiding the transition, it could also increase confusion, stress, and disengagement.
To that end, Van, along with Tadzio Smith, has co-founded Rapport, AI for EQ at work, a platform which helps companies create collaborative culture around conflict.
My biggest takeaway from SHRM AI+HI: the more advanced AI becomes, the more valuable human leadership becomes.
I’m curious: Are you investing as much in Manager EQ as you are in AI tools?
If you would like to learn about my newest keynote reflecting on how AI is changing the future of work, visit: https://www.JaniceLitvin.com/Speaking