There’s a quiet shift happening in how feedback gets written.
You might not even notice it at first.. a more polished sentence here, a balanced paragraph there. But behind many of those performance reviews or employee summaries now sits an AI prompt.
And while the tech feels efficient, the implications go deeper. Because performance feedback isn’t just data about people but a signal of value. It shapes how people feel seen, appreciated, or overlooked. So the real question isn’t whether AI makes our reviews sound better. It’s whether it’s making our relationships weaker.
When Efficiency Starts to Cost Connection
Leaders love efficiency. But when the feedback process becomes a copy-and-paste exercise, something human always gets lost in translation.
AI-generated feedback can tick all the right boxes. Fair, conciseness, grammatical perfection. But it often misses the most important ingredient: you.
It doesn’t know what it means to watch someone step up during chaos, or the small ways a person earns trust daily.
And when people start to suspect their review was written by a bot? The trust you’ve built can erode in seconds. They stop listening to the content and start questioning the intent.
The Trust Deficit in AI Feedback
Feedback has always carried emotional weight. When it feels impersonal, it creates quiet disconnection:
- “Did they even notice what I did?”
- “Was this just generated from a template?”
- “Do they really know me?”
- “Did they think it wasn’t worth the time/effort?”
This isn’t about fear of technology, it’s about the erosion of authenticity. Once that happens, engagement metrics won’t tell the full story.
The Role of Leaders in the Age of AI Feedback
Strong leaders use AI to support (not replace) their ability to connect. They let it:
- Help organise scattered thoughts.
- Flag bias or gaps in feedback.
- Suggest structure or tone ideas.
But they still take the time to write with heart. To describe what they saw, not just what the system recorded.
Rebuilding Authenticity in a Digital Age
If AI is here to stay, leaders need new rituals to keep the feedback process human. Try:
- Adding one “moment that mattered.” Describe a real moment you witnessed. It grounds feedback in truth.
- Using people’s own words. Reflect back something they said in a meeting or reflection. Something that shows you were listening.
- Owning your perspective. Say, “I noticed,” “I appreciated,” or “I think” instead of neutral corporate phrasing.
- Inviting dialogue. Feedback shouldn’t be the last word but the start of a conversation.
The Bigger Picture: Technology Tests Our Humanity
AI isn’t rewriting performance reviews. It’s rewriting how we express value, recognition, and belonging.
Every leader has a choice: automate for speed, or communicate for trust.
The irony? The more we automate, the more our people crave the handwritten note, the real conversation, the moment of eye contact that says, “I see you.”
So yes, let AI make your work smoother but make sure your words still sound like you. Because in a world where technology can talk for us, the real mark of leadership will be who still chooses to speak from themselves.