In many U.S. workplaces, artificial intelligence is being used to assist with promotion decisions, salary adjustments, and employee terminations. Its role has expanded beyond initial resume screening.
A new survey of 1,342 managers by Resume Builder shows just how deeply these tools have moved into day-to-day people management.
About two-thirds of managers say they now use AI in their workflow. Nearly all of them, around 94 percent, rely on it to make decisions about employees who report directly to them. That includes tasks like assessing performance, designing training programs, and drafting improvement plans. It also includes higher-stakes choices like determining raises, promotions, layoffs, and terminations.
The most widely used tool among these managers is ChatGPT. More than half cited it as their primary assistant. Microsoft’s Copilot follows behind, while Google’s Gemini holds a smaller share. Just a few rely on other platforms.
What’s more concerning to some observers is how often managers trust AI to make final calls. Roughly one in five say they often or always let the system decide outcomes without stepping in. Many claim they would intervene if something didn’t seem right, but in practice, those systems are often running with limited oversight.
Trust in AI remains high among users. About 7 in 10 say they believe it makes fair and unbiased decisions. Yet, most of those same managers haven’t received much training. Only a third say they’ve gone through a formal process to learn how to use AI responsibly in managing people. Nearly one in four report having no training at all.
AI is also used to evaluate whether certain jobs can be automated, alongside managing current staff. Nearly half of the managers surveyed said they were asked to assess this for at least one role. Of those, more than half concluded that AI could take over the work. Many followed through by removing that position altogether.
These changes are raising new concerns about how decisions are made inside companies. While the technology can handle large amounts of information quickly, it doesn’t understand context, emotions, or the broader impacts of its choices. That’s led to growing debate about accountability, especially when people’s jobs are at stake.
AI tools often operate without human oversight. They can also reflect the biases of the people who use them. Some language models are known to mirror the views of whoever is prompting them, a pattern researchers refer to as “LLM sycophancy.” In practice, this could mean a manager sees what they want to see, not what’s actually fair or objective.
AI's influence goes beyond internal decisions. According to recent reporting from The Washington Post, AI agents are already conducting first-round interviews at some companies, screening candidates before a human recruiter gets involved. On the other side, job seekers are also turning to AI, using it to tailor resumes and cover letters for quicker submissions.
The adoption of AI in management is progressing gradually. Most companies now encourage managers to use AI to speed up decision-making, reduce overhead, and support productivity. But without proper training or clear rules, those decisions may carry unintended consequences. The tools are efficient, but they still need human judgment to keep them grounded.
Note: This post was edited/created using GenAI tools.
Read next: Position Bias in AI Models Threatens Accuracy in High-Stakes Applications, MIT Warns
A new survey of 1,342 managers by Resume Builder shows just how deeply these tools have moved into day-to-day people management.
About two-thirds of managers say they now use AI in their workflow. Nearly all of them, around 94 percent, rely on it to make decisions about employees who report directly to them. That includes tasks like assessing performance, designing training programs, and drafting improvement plans. It also includes higher-stakes choices like determining raises, promotions, layoffs, and terminations.
The most widely used tool among these managers is ChatGPT. More than half cited it as their primary assistant. Microsoft’s Copilot follows behind, while Google’s Gemini holds a smaller share. Just a few rely on other platforms.
What’s more concerning to some observers is how often managers trust AI to make final calls. Roughly one in five say they often or always let the system decide outcomes without stepping in. Many claim they would intervene if something didn’t seem right, but in practice, those systems are often running with limited oversight.
Trust in AI remains high among users. About 7 in 10 say they believe it makes fair and unbiased decisions. Yet, most of those same managers haven’t received much training. Only a third say they’ve gone through a formal process to learn how to use AI responsibly in managing people. Nearly one in four report having no training at all.
AI is also used to evaluate whether certain jobs can be automated, alongside managing current staff. Nearly half of the managers surveyed said they were asked to assess this for at least one role. Of those, more than half concluded that AI could take over the work. Many followed through by removing that position altogether.
These changes are raising new concerns about how decisions are made inside companies. While the technology can handle large amounts of information quickly, it doesn’t understand context, emotions, or the broader impacts of its choices. That’s led to growing debate about accountability, especially when people’s jobs are at stake.
AI tools often operate without human oversight. They can also reflect the biases of the people who use them. Some language models are known to mirror the views of whoever is prompting them, a pattern researchers refer to as “LLM sycophancy.” In practice, this could mean a manager sees what they want to see, not what’s actually fair or objective.
AI's influence goes beyond internal decisions. According to recent reporting from The Washington Post, AI agents are already conducting first-round interviews at some companies, screening candidates before a human recruiter gets involved. On the other side, job seekers are also turning to AI, using it to tailor resumes and cover letters for quicker submissions.
The adoption of AI in management is progressing gradually. Most companies now encourage managers to use AI to speed up decision-making, reduce overhead, and support productivity. But without proper training or clear rules, those decisions may carry unintended consequences. The tools are efficient, but they still need human judgment to keep them grounded.
Note: This post was edited/created using GenAI tools.
Read next: Position Bias in AI Models Threatens Accuracy in High-Stakes Applications, MIT Warns
