Martin Githaiga says people should not hand their work to AI and walk away. He makes the case for a workforce that treats AI as a capable but inexperienced colleague, one that still needs a second pair of eyes before its work goes out the door.
Martin Githaiga, head of people at Turaco, has spent the past two years helping employees with a transition from doing routine tasks themselves to working with AI tools or supervising AI agents that now handle much of that work.
“You’re asking someone who is used to handling routine tasks and doing things the way they’ve always been done to start delegating those tasks to AI agents or using AI tools. The shift is in mindset, moving away from doing the day-to-day work yourself and towards thinking creatively about how to improve processes and make work more efficient,” he says.
At Turaco, the use of AI started small, and the leap in usage across the company took time.
“Two years ago, when ChatGPT was having its debut moment, we were leveraging AI in small ways, to correct your email, to review your grammar in a report or presentation. The initial transition had the team delegating fully to AI tools, but we quickly got feedback that AI doesn't know everything, it still needs an individual's context, tone, and, of course, a final review,” he says.
Trust, then verify
Martin borrows a leaf from Turaco's chief operating officer to describe the limits of that trust.
“AI is like an MBA intern with about two or three years of experience, smart but doesn't have enough lived experience or all the necessary context, so you can't let them be. Yes, you've asked Gemini to rewrite an email for you, read and review it before you hit send,” he advises.
Job security has been a recurring worry with AI transformation, and Martin's answer to it is specific rather than reassuring in the abstract.
“Do not see AI as a replacement, rather, it is an opportunity to upskill and diversify. It is an opportunity to unlock the next level in a role or career sooner because you have more time on your hands from the efficiency gains of working with AI tools,” he says.
In practice, he says organisations or companies will still need a human behind the phone to support a customer, but in addition to offering 1st-level assistance, employees will be handling escalations from an AI tool as well.
“Electricians will still be needed, but instead of waiting days to get drawings done, an AI-powered engineering tool can build those quickly, meaning work can be done faster and more jobs taken in the same period of time,” he adds.
