How AI will change work for managers in 2026

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

As AI moves from experimentation to full-blown implementation across many companies, managers have to figure out their AI-related responsibilities and issues on the fly. Here’s what that experience should look like in 2026, whether managers are ready or not.

Legion Technologies, a leading workforce management platform, canvassed U.S. company managers on what they expect from AI in 2026. Here are the biggest impactors.

“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, employee engagement at Legion Technologies. “Most are ready 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 staffing in real time, automate repetitive updates, and support smarter scheduling decisions, Chernoff said. “In a time when every hour and decision matters, AI has the potential to offer efficiency and relief,” she noted.

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

“On my team, AI manages initial content reviews, competitive monitoring, performance data synthesis, and meeting preparation,” said Danielle Spires, 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 updates from Asana, identifies blockers, and drafts my talking points, allowing me to focus more on coaching and strategy.”

Employees view their direct manager as their most trusted source of company updates, which makes the pressure on managers even more urgent. “Too often, managers are consumed by relaying updates or chasing acknowledgments instead of leading,” said Sabra Sciolaro, chief people officer at Firstup, in Kansas City, Mo.

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

In 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 it will also introduce more responsibility, as they will have to supervise AI performances, validate output, and ensure it is in the organization’s best interest,” said Baruch Labunski, founder at Toronto-based Rank Secure, a digital marketing firm. “AI is not going to remove the workload, but it will allow for a more complicated and higher order of operational thinking.”

In 2026, most businesses will also look to integrate AI into their core business activities, rather than maintaining it on a pilot basis as they do now. “AI will be incorporated into administrative HR 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 will be expected to act on AI insights, guide teams through adapting to process changes, and carry out dual management of functions and people concurrently.”

Workplace experts say the most effective corporate AI plans are focused 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,” Sciolaro said.

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

Managers must also consider AI to be a stakeholder, rather than an easy path to automated outcomes.

“AI could be used to automate repetitive tasks and complete preparation work to recognize patterns, but keep the decision to automate task outcomes to people,” Labunski noted. “Spend the time upfront to learn the systems, establish the boundaries of what the AI is responsible for and what the people will be responsible for.”

Managers will alleviate burnout of their teams, provide more clarity on the work tasks to be completed, and use AI “to increase the value of work performed rather than just add more complexity,” he added.

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

Spires said she’s tested each AI tool on her own tasks first, which built credibility and helped identify real challenges. “Don’t focus solely on efficiency,” she said. “The most successful managers use AI to achieve outcomes that were previously unattainable, rather than simply increasing speed.”

At Asana, the company has deployed over 15 purpose-built AI agents across marketing and plans to expand this in 2026. “For our managers, the focus is moving from encouraging AI adoption to redesigning workflows with AI as an integral part,” Spires said. “Managers must reconsider job scopes, redefine quality standards, and identify which human skills will become more valuable. The work is not reduced, but it is shifting.”

As 2025 draws to a close, change is in the air for team leaders tasked with managing AI, their newest employee, along with human staffers.

“As companies build on AI in 2026, they’ll increasingly apply it to operational work like distributing information, tracking understanding, and eliminating redundant tasks,” Sciolaro noted. “That shift allows managers to move away from acting as message relays and toward the leadership, context-setting, and decision-making work only humans can do.”