People ARE the problem with AI Adoption
I wrote about this last week on LinkedIn, but I was restricted by character count. I figured I would do a deeper dive into the topic of “People and AI Adoption.”
I keep seeing articles, experts, and “thought leaders” lamenting that their AI initiatives are stuck. They can’t get out of pilot mode. They’re no further along than they were two years ago. And their conclusion? People are the problem.
People are getting in the way of innovation. People are the reason AI adoption isn’t happening. People are why we can’t meet our goals.
Here’s the thing: People are a BIG part of the problem. But not in the way that you think they are.
This isn’t a new problem
Companies trying to force new technology on their teams without a real plan? That’s not an AI problem. That’s a leadership problem. And it’s been around forever.
I’ve worked at a lot of different companies throughout my career. I’ve done my best to advocate for myself, to speak up when something isn’t working. And despite the so-called “open door policies” and “cultures of change,” I was met with resistance.
“That’s just how it is.” “You’re going to have to deal with it.” “Stay in your lane.” “Keep your head down.”
Basically anything except: make waves, ask questions, become what they see as “problematic.”
There’s a good reason I struggled to move up and get promoted at previous companies. I’m not one to sit back and just accept what’s given to me. I’m going to look at it, start poking holes, ask questions, and say “I don’t understand why we’re doing it this way.”
And many times, the only answer was “because that’s how it’s done.”
I was prevented from moving up because the more authority I’d be given, the more ability I’d have to see where things weren’t working—and to actually try to change them. Leadership wanted to stay the course with the plans they’d decided on, right or wrong. They didn’t want anyone making waves.
If you know me, you know that’s just not how I roll.
Sound familiar?
This is exactly what’s happening now with AI.
Companies are forcing AI on their teams. It’s positioned as “our way forward, our mission, our disruptor, our differentiator.” But there’s no real plan for what that means for the people actually using it. And leadership says they want feedback—but only if that feedback is agreement.
The people being told they have to use these tools? They’re frustrated. They don’t understand what they’re supposed to be doing. And when they speak up, they get shut down.
This is why AI isn’t getting out of pilot mode. This is why companies can’t get past where they were two years ago.
No kidding.
People not understanding what they’re supposed to do with technology has never been a new problem. And it falls squarely on the shoulders of whoever is setting the course.
The real issue is trust
I know you want to say people are difficult. I know you’re thinking “I just want them to do what I want them to do and not ask questions.”
That’s not how it works. That’s never how it’s going to work.
One of the things I learned very early in my career as a manager: It doesn’t matter what level somebody is at—they just want to be heard. Even if the answer is no, they want to know their voice has been heard. They want some kind of justification for why the answer is no.
A lot of leaders struggle with this because they don’t want that level of transparency. But when you skip it, you’re not building trust.
And that’s the core of what we’re talking about. If your team does not trust you, they will not do what you’re asking them to do. Full stop.
You can have all the open door policies and all-hands meetings you want. But if your team doesn’t trust you because you’re not actually listening? It’s all a waste of time.
Trust is fixable—but it takes work
It’s not as simple as sitting back, hearing people out, and then saying “I heard you. The answer is still no.”
Trust is showing up consistently. Trust is doing what you say you’re going to do. Trust is follow-through.
Here’s what that actually looks like:
Acknowledge what people tell you. Let them know you’ve actually heard it. Not performatively—genuinely.
Come back to them with what you did with the information. Not in a “you told us this and now you’re fired” way. In a “this was helpful feedback—here’s why we can’t implement it right now” way. Or “here’s what we’re going to do with this moving forward.”
Be transparent about constraints. The answer can still be no. But explain the limitations. You don’t have to share every line of your P&L, but you can say something like: “If we move forward with this idea, here’s what it would cost—and we don’t have that budget right now. But if we land three more clients, we’ll have some wiggle room.” That’s a totally reasonable conversation. There’s no reason to keep your team in the dark about why decisions are being made.
Stop shutting people down before they finish. Not every idea is going to be a good idea. But if you shut people down before they even get a chance to finish their thought, you’re never going to get to the good ideas. You have to sift through some not-so-great ones to get there.
Get input from everywhere. Ideas don’t just come from your leadership team—that’s a huge mistake companies make. You need people from all over your organization, from different backgrounds and experiences. That’s how you get a really good idea, a really good plan, a really good product.
People aren’t the problem—they’re the starting point
This is why I get so frustrated with the “people are blocking our AI progress” narrative. It completely misses the point.
If you’ve ever used the 5P framework, you know that purpose and performance are the bookends. But the first P you have to figure out in the middle? People.
Because if you don’t figure out people—if you don’t give them the information they need, the resources they need, the support they need, and if you don’t actually listen to what they’re telling you—the rest of it is wasted. It doesn’t matter what your goal is. It doesn’t matter how much you’ve invested in the platform.
It’s never going to happen.
So if you’re just coming around in 2026 to the idea that “people are the problem”? You’re asking the wrong question. People aren’t the problem. They’re where you start.
That’s my rant.
And if you want help figuring this out in your organization? One of my strengths—my superpower—is understanding people. It’s having those hard conversations. But more than that, it’s listening. I can do the listening for you. I can be that neutral party who gets the information and brokers those conversations between you and your team to help you move forward.
That is what I am exceptionally good at. I’m not even humble about it.
Let me help you. Reach out, and we can talk.
How are you managing change with your people? Reply to this email or join the conversation in our Free Slack community, Analytics for Marketers!
– Katie Robbert, CEO
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Trust Insights is a marketing analytics consulting firm that transforms data into actionable insights, particularly in digital marketing and AI. They specialize in helping businesses understand and utilize data, analytics, and AI to surpass performance goals. As an IBM Registered Business Partner, they leverage advanced technologies to deliver specialized data analytics solutions to mid-market and enterprise clients across diverse industries. Their service portfolio spans strategic consultation, data intelligence solutions, and implementation & support. Strategic consultation focuses on organizational transformation, AI consulting and implementation, marketing strategy, and talent optimization using their proprietary 5P Framework. Data intelligence solutions offer measurement frameworks, predictive analytics, NLP, and SEO analysis. Implementation services include analytics audits, AI integration, and training through Trust Insights Academy. Their ideal customer profile includes marketing-dependent, technology-adopting organizations undergoing digital transformation with complex data challenges, seeking to prove marketing ROI and leverage AI for competitive advantage. Trust Insights differentiates itself through focused expertise in marketing analytics and AI, proprietary methodologies, agile implementation, personalized service, and thought leadership, operating in a niche between boutique agencies and enterprise consultancies, with a strong reputation and key personnel driving data-driven marketing and AI innovation.
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