Huge numbers of managers admit to using AI to convincingly draft or revise performance reviews - and I fear it will only accelerate the death of traditional HR (www.techradar.com)

A ZeroBounce survey of 1,000 US professionals finds AI writing tools have moved from optional aids to routine workplace actors, with 24% of employees using AI daily for emails and 41% of managers admitting they’ve drafted or revised performance reviews using AI. The study also flags sensitive uses: 35% of employees relied on AI for sensitive messages, 17% of managers used it for layoff emails, and over a quarter of workers suspect their performance reviews were AI-generated. Tech workers and younger employees are most likely to use or detect AI outputs, and one in five respondents reported spotting identical AI-created messages from colleagues. These trends matter because they shift not just efficiency but the social contract between managers and staff. Many employees report AI boosts their confidence writing, yet others feel dependent or wounded by perceived “emotionless” communications—16% of laid-off workers believed termination notices were AI-written and 20% said the messages made them cry. The normalization of generative AI in evaluative and HR contexts raises practical and ethical risks: erosion of trust and managerial empathy, detection and authenticity challenges, potential legal/regulatory scrutiny, and the possibility of accelerating automation of HR roles. The takeaway for the AI/ML community: focus on transparency, human oversight, evaluative fairness, and tooling that preserves authenticity and accountability as generative systems are embedded in high-stakes workplace decisions.