When Technology Moves Faster than We Do
AI has become an almost ambient presence in our working lives. New tools arrive so frequently that the ground rarely feels still beneath our feet. Yet the disruption that many feel most intensely is not technological at all. It is personal.
I have been returning to the idea of identity lag (and lead) – the space between adopting new tools and adapting our sense of who we are at work. Systems upgrade overnight; human identity moves at a more deliberate pace.
Herminia Ibarra’s notion of ‘working identities’ helps to steady this conversation. Her work reminds us that professional selves evolve through experimentation, transition and the occasional uncomfortable stretch. And the stretch is certainly here. Isabel Berwick has captured this beautifully in her conversations about why many people still resist handing over aspects of their working memory to technology, insisting on physical notebooks or in‑person meetings to feel grounded in reality. Those small acts of refusal tell us something: identity and how we do things does not change at the speed of software.
A quiet emotional divide
Across organisations, I see a gentle asymmetry. Younger colleagues glide through AI tools with casual fluency; for them, intelligent systems are almost native. More experienced colleagues bring deep judgement, honed through repeated cycles of practice, but are also asked to revisit habits that once defined their competence. That is not a technical challenge, rather an emotional negotiation.
And sometimes it shows up in unexpected ways. A CMO I know works with a team of ten people and forty AI agents. The blend works, but only because she’s honest about the identity shifts each colleague navigates as their role stretches, refocuses or becomes newly porous.
If we ignore these shifts, adoption becomes an exercise in compliance rather than confidence.
The messy middle of identity change
The difficult part is not learning how to use AI. It is making sense of what it asks of us. Many of us are rethinking what competence looks like when some layers of expertise can now be automated. Others are renegotiating confidence, contribution or even relevance.
This is where the human scaffolding matters: coaching, mentoring and steady internal support. Technology cannot soothe uncertainty but people can.
What leaders need to notice
It is tempting to treat AI as an efficiency play. But efficiency alone does not move a culture. What matters is the ability to frame problems with clarity and to read the cultural mood when people feel unsettled. Often, the signals are subtle: an overly cautious tone, reluctance to commit, an insistence on meeting in person rather than moving decisions forward online. These are all indicators that identity is adjusting, rather than operational obstacles.
What keeps us grounded
Three qualities feel increasingly essential:
- Resilience and self‑awareness – the internal steadiness that helps us remain anchored amid change.
- Adaptability, cultural intelligence and clear communication – enabling us to read the room, bridge generations and calibrate our response to context.
- Coherence – the alignment between what we intend and how we arrive in any room, the foundation of presence.
I think of these as the quiet architecture of (working) identity. They help us move with integrity, even when the landscape is shifting. I tend to return to Brancusi’s column for that quiet re-calibration.
Why I remain optimistic
Despite the widespread fear we hear about, many people using AI meaningfully describe better balance, improved output and renewed curiosity. When identity shifts are noticed rather than dismissed, people often rediscover agency rather than lose it.
Our human architecture must keep pace – with honesty, compassion and a willingness to evolve. Identity lag is real, but so is identity lead. With the right support, we can grow into this moment rather than be overtaken by it.
Photo by Vatu Maria