"Just learn the new tool"

There's a growing tendency to think about generative AI at work as "just another tool," something employees can learn the same way they learn new software, then fold into their workflows easily. That framing makes sense on the surface, especially if you don't know anything about how genAI works. Most workplace tools work that way. An individual learns how to use a new software, applies it to their own tasks, and over time, teams align on shared practices. The tool behaves predictably, the outputs are consistent, and mistakes are usually obvious. Generative AI doesn't work like that, though. When someone experiments with AI in their own workflows, they can rely on their own context, judgment, and experience to evaluate the results. If something feels off, they can course-correct. The risk is mostly contained to the individual. When genAI is introduced as a shared resource (used by a team, department, or organization), it stops being a personal productivity aid and becomes part of the…