As AI writes more of our messages, are we losing our workplace personalities?

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming embedded in the modern workplace. From drafting emails and preparing reports to summarizing meetings and creating presentations, generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, and Claude have become everyday companions for many professionals. Yet as workers embrace these technologies, a new question is emerging: are we gaining efficiency at the expense of authenticity?

A recently published survey from Omni Calculator, based on responses from office workers, suggests that many employees are beginning to notice a subtle but important shift. While AI may improve grammar, eliminate typos, and streamline communication, it may also be erasing some of the human characteristics that make workplace relationships meaningful.  The findings resonate with broader debates taking place in Canada, where organizations, governments, and employees are actively considering which aspects of work should be automated and which should remain distinctly human.

The rise of AI-assisted communication

According to the Omni Calculator study, AI-assisted writing has become remarkably common. Nearly two-thirds of workers use AI to help write, rewrite, or polish workplace communications, with 30% reporting use multiple times a day. Senior leaders appear to be among the heaviest users.

For Canadian businesses investing in digital transformation, the appeal is clear. AI can draft professional emails in seconds, ensure consistent tone, improve clarity, and help workers overcome writer’s block. The productivity benefits are there, yet a growing reliance on AI is creating a new challenge. Communication is about more than transmitting information. It also conveys personality, emotion, trustworthiness, and organizational culture.

The survey found that 51% of workers would rather receive a slightly messy message written by a colleague than a perfectly polished AI-generated one, rising to 61% among Generation Z workers.  This suggests that authenticity still matters, particularly among younger employees who have grown up alongside digital technologies but may value genuine expression precisely because it has become harder to find.

The disappearance of workplace personality

One of the most intriguing findings concerns how AI changes perceptions of coworkers. Here, the report found that 57% of workers have noticed a colleague’s personality fade from messages after they began using AI, while 21% say they actively miss the old version of that person.

Such findings point toward what might be called “communication homogenization.” As workers increasingly use the same AI models trained on similar datasets, messages can begin to sound alike regardless of who wrote them.

This phenomenon may be particularly relevant in Canada, where workplace culture often emphasizes collaboration, inclusivity, and relationship-building. Whether in Toronto’s financial district, Vancouver’s technology sector, Calgary’s energy industry, or Montreal’s creative economy, personal communication remains central to professional success.

When every email begins to sound as though it was written by the same machine, an important element of workplace identity may be lost. The survey further found that one-quarter of workers who use AI for workplace communication believe their writing sounds less like themselves and more generic than before.

Trust is another emerging issue. While AI-generated messages may appear more professional, some employees perceive excessive AI use as a sign of disengagement. The Omni Calculator research found that 30% of workers believe a coworker who uses AI to write a message simply did not care enough to write it personally. Among Gen Z respondents, this figure rises to 44%.

This finding challenges a common assumption that polished communication automatically improves professional relationships. In reality, small imperfections often signal authenticity. Minor grammatical quirks, personal expressions, and even occasional typos remind readers that another human being is behind the message.

When communication becomes too polished, recipients may begin to question its sincerity.

This concern extends beyond peer-to-peer interactions. Another recent Omni Calculator survey found that workers often react negatively when managers rely heavily on AI-generated communications, particularly when messages feel generic or fail to reflect their leader’s individual voice.

Interestingly, the survey found that 40% of workers have reduced small imperfections and typos since adopting AI tools.  On the surface, this appears positive. Professional communication benefits from clarity and accuracy. Yet communication researchers have long recognized that imperfections can play a social role. They demonstrate effort, individuality, and spontaneity. The occasional typo may not be ideal, but it often signals that a message was written personally rather than outsourced to software.

For Canadians working in hybrid and remote environments, where digital communication has increasingly replaced face-to-face interactions, these signals may become even more important. As organizations continue investing in AI-powered productivity tools, preserving authenticity could become a key management challenge.

Canada’s balancing act

Canada has emerged as a global leader in artificial intelligence research and commercialization. Institutions such as the Vector Institute in Toronto, Mila in Montreal, and the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii) have helped establish the country as an international AI hub. At the same time, Canadian policymakers have been active in conversations around responsible AI governance, ethics, transparency, and human-centred technology development.

The workplace communication debate fits naturally within these broader discussions. Thus the issue is no longer whether AI can write messages. Clearly it can. Instead, the question is how much of our communication should be delegated to machines without undermining the relationships and trust that organizations depend upon. For many workers, the ideal solution may not be rejecting AI altogether. Rather, it may involve using AI as an assistant rather than a replacement, leveraging its ability to improve clarity while ensuring that personal voice and authentic expression remain intact.