The Future of Work - AI & Human Purpose

AI is reshaping work at a pace many of us couldn’t have imagined even a few years ago. The promises are big: greater efficiency, less repetitive work, and opportunities to scale innovation like never before. But behind these promises, there’s a quieter question that keeps many leaders (and employees) up at night: In the rush toward efficiency, what happens to human purpose?

During my time helping organizations become AI-first, including the journey at Circle Medical, this question remains at the forefront. We’ve learned that true AI transformation isn’t just about automating tasks, it’s about reimagining work in ways that amplify human strengths and create deeper connections.

The promise and peril of AI-first transformation

AI can unlock tremendous efficiency. The McKinsey Global Institute estimates that by 2030, up to 30% of work hours in the U.S. could be automated, potentially freeing people to focus on higher-level creative, interpersonal, and strategic work.

However, if we’re not careful, these gains can come at a hidden cost. Without intentional design, AI risks depersonalizing work, eroding trust, and disconnecting people from the meaning of their work. Adopting AI is as much an emotional and cultural journey as it is a technical one.

Design thinking as a guide

A core principle from design thinking, one I internalized through IDEO and Stanford’s Design Your Life program, is simple but powerful: Start with the problem, not the tool. In our initial hackathon at Circle Medical, some participants initially focused on building flashy AI solutions. But when we stepped back and asked, “What problem are we actually trying to solve?”, real opportunities became clearer. Sometimes the right solution wasn’t AI at all, but a simpler process improvement or more thoughtful workflow design. By reframing challenges and prototyping ideas before scaling them, we created space for more authentic, human-centered innovation.

Building human-centered values into adoption

Trust is critical. Amy Edmondson’s work on psychological safety reminds us that teams perform best when they feel safe speaking up and questioning assumptions.

At Circle Medical, one of the core values is to embrace diversity and be curious. We invited employees to explore, experiment, and share insights, regardless of technical background. Our CEO issued a challenge: 'Everyone should be exploring how AI could change their work.' We paired this with workshops and content designed to be 'pulled' rather than pushed.

Measuring impact and strengthening partnerships

• We went beyond vanity metrics to measure:

• How are employees utilizing AI tools before and after the hackathon?

• Which areas of work do they want to improve with AI?

• How are partnerships between Clinical, Product, and Engineering evolving?

  
  

We benchmarked task time reductions inspired by a 2024 review in npj Digital Medicine, which showed 67% of studies reported time savings using AI.

Deloitte’s research also stresses measuring KPIs, celebrating milestones, and involving employees to build comfort with change.

Practical ways to balance efficiency and purpose

• Co-design with end users.

• Celebrate learning failures.

• Prioritize removing friction, not human connection.

• Ask: Does this solution deepen the connection or simply cut costs?

  
  

Looking forward

AI transformation should augment us, creating more space for empathy, creativity, and connection. Empowering people to realize their full potential requires designing with them, not just for them.

How is your organization balancing efficiency and human connection?