Artificial intelligence in the workplace reached dizzying heights by 2025, but managers don’t have a firm grip on the technology, and neither do their companies, if you ask them. According to recent MIT study, 91% of data leaders at large enterprises cite “cultural challenges and change management” as the top obstacles to becoming data-driven organizations. Ironically, only 9% point to technological challenges, the study noted.

As AI moves from experimentation to full implementation in many companies, managers must figure out their AI responsibilities and issues on the fly. This is what that experience should look like in 2026, whether managers are ready or not.

Technologies of the Legiona leading workforce management platform, asked US business executives what they expect from AI in 2026. Here are the biggest impacts.

“For many managers, AI offers a way to cut through the day-to-day noise and focus on what drives performance,” said Traci Chernoff, senior director of employee engagement at Legion Technologies. “Most are willing to adopt tools that help them schedule more efficiently and reduce time spent on routine tasks, but access and implementation still lag.”

When used effectively, AI can adjust the template in real time, automate repetitive updates and support smarter scheduling decisions, Chernoff said. “At a time when every hour and decision matters, AI has the potential to provide efficiency and relief,” he noted.

The most important benefit is the reduction of routine processing tasks.

“On my team, AI handles initial content reviews, competitive tracking, performance data synthesis, and meeting preparation,” said Danielle Spiers, vice president and head of digital at Asana in San Francisco. “Previously, I spent 4-5 hours each week consolidating status updates. Now, an AI agent collects Asana updates, identifies blockers, and writes my talking points, allowing me to focus more on coaching and strategy.”

Employees see their line manager as the most reliable source of company updates, making the pressure on managers even more urgent. “Too often, managers are consumed by relaying updates or chasing thank-yous instead of leading,” said Sabra Sciolaro, director of people at Firstup, in Kansas City, Missouri.

Sciolaro expects AI to increasingly automate routine communication and administrative follow-ups. “When organizations use data to confirm that employees have received and understand updates, managers are freed from repetitive tasks and can focus more on coaching, problem solving and high-value conversations that require human judgment,” he said.

By 2026, managers will be able to entrust AI with many activities, including taking meeting notes, tracking employee performance, scheduling and completing initial drafts of reports and forecasts.

“This will allow managers to focus on more strategic activities, but will also introduce more accountability as they will need to monitor AI performance, validate the outcome and ensure it is in the best interest of the organization,” said Baruch Labunski, founder of Rank Secure, a Toronto-based digital marketing firm. “AI won’t eliminate the workload, but it will enable a more complicated and higher order of operational thought.”

By 2026, most companies will also be looking to integrate AI into their core business activities, rather than keeping it on a pilot basis as they do now. “AI will be embedded in HR administrative functions, project management software, CRM systems, AI Insight dashboards and other key business areas,” Labunski said. “For managers, this means even more time demands as they are expected to act on AI insights, guide teams to adapt to process changes, and perform dual role and people management simultaneously.”

Workplace experts say the most effective corporate AI plans focus on reducing friction, not replacing people. “That’s why it’s important to be clear with teams that AI and digital tools are there to reduce the burden, not to replace the human role of leadership,” said Sciolaro.

Managers should focus on using AI to handle routine and repetitive work while being transparent with teams about how these tools are being used. “When AI reduces the administrative burden and provides clarity about who has received and understood information, managers regain time to focus on training, problem solving and building trust, the parts of the job that matter most,” added Sciolaro.

Managers also need to see AI as a stakeholder, rather than an easy path to automated results.

“AI could be used to automate repetitive tasks and complete the preparatory work to recognize patterns, but leave the decision to automate task outcomes to people,” Labunski noted. “Spend the time up front to learn the systems, set the boundaries of what the AI ​​is responsible for and what people will be responsible for.”

Managers will ease burnout on their teams, provide more clarity on work tasks that need to be completed, and use AI “to increase the value of the work done rather than adding more complexity,” he added.

Managers should also apply AI tools to their own workflows before asking team members to adapt.

Spiers said he has first tested each AI tool on his own tasks, which built credibility and helped identify real challenges. “Don’t just focus on efficiency,” he said. “The most successful managers are using AI to achieve results that were previously unattainable, rather than simply increasing speed.”

At Asana, the company has deployed more than 15 AI agents built specifically for marketing and plans to expand that by 2026. “For our managers, the focus is shifting from driving AI adoption to redesigning workflows with AI as an integral part,” Spiers said. “Managers need to reconsider work areas, redefine quality standards and identify which human skills will be most valuable. Work is not shrinking, but it is changing.”

As 2025 approaches, change is in the air for team leaders tasked with managing AI, their newest employee, alongside human staff.

“As companies rely on AI in 2026, they will increasingly apply it to operational work such as distributing information, tracking insights and eliminating redundant tasks,” Sciolaro noted. “This shift allows managers to move away from acting as a transmitter of messages and toward the leadership, context-setting and decision-making work that only humans can do.”