MSG Presents: Characters From Corporate: Am I Wrong For Not Trusting AI?

In this episode of Characters From Corporate, Eric and Stew unpack a workplace dilemma from a Black Gen X management consultant watching coworkers lean hard on AI for everything from emails to meeting notes to tough conversations. 

The real question isn't just about technology, it's about dependency, judgment, and what happens when AI starts feeling more like a therapist, coach, and companion than a tool. 

The conversation gets real about staying competitive, protecting human connection, and whether resisting this shift makes you behind or just more aware. 

Check out the full Episode of Season 8-MSG Episode 52 "What's Your Relationship with AI?

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Transcript

Characters from Corporate: Am I Wrong For Not Trusting AI Like That?

Eric: We ain't did this in a while. Alright, so cool. So if you're new to the show, characters from corporate is our segment where people write into us or we talk to people face to face and they give us a scenario in corporate that they want our feedback on.

Eric: Today's I had for a while, but I'm using it because we're talking about ai, so it's very relevant. So this one was, I'm, I'm a black Gen X male, and I'm a Wharton Business School grad, Wharton Business School. Now, if you all don't know this out there, like Wharton is sometimes the number one business school.

Eric: Okay. So this is a big deal. It was a black man that went to Wharton. Cool. Yep. He said he works as a management consultant in a global consulting firm. So he's probably at Accenture, Deloitte. One of those he said everybody's acting like they've been using AI for years. I'm watching people use it to draft emails, summarize meetings and all this different stuff.

Eric: [00:04:00] And even think through difficult conversations that they needed to have with their bosses. What's throwing me off is not the technology itself, it's how fast people are depending on it to help or do their work. And then I've got coworkers who are talking about, they've created AI agents.

Eric: That they're kind of talking to, like they would talk to their wife or their therapist. It's like a wife, a therapist, and an executive coach all in one and an assistant. I know I'll likely start getting left behind in terms of ability.

Eric: To generate output against my coworkers, but I'm just not feeling AI like that because I don't think it should replace humans. Am I a character from corporate for thinking in this way? Interesting.

@ProfessorStew: Well, it's, it's kind of, it's kind of along the lines of I, of my thought, right? It's like, yeah, y'all ain't taking a minute to just think through the problem without ai. I agree with him that it know, there's a conversation [00:05:00] about is it making us lazier mentally, or thoughts? And I see, I see where it's just gonna be super easy.

@ProfessorStew: Just let the AI do it, just. Hopefully, if that is the direction we're going in, then that opens up our mind to think about more serious issues or more complex issues that need to be solved. I don't think this guy is the character from corporate. I think I think the majority of people. That I think that is the way that we're gonna go.

@ProfessorStew: Unfortunately I think that more people are gonna be relying on the technology. and I think honestly that there's gonna be more cre division between humans. I was, I went out to out to the family then 89th and Stony Island. I was at the family den last night, and. To see the number of people who were on their phones, man, instead of admiring the atmosphere, you

Eric: wow. Yeah.

@ProfessorStew: having, having [00:06:00] been out on a date and, know my date is on their phone, you know,

Eric: Wow.

@ProfessorStew: the date, and, and, and I see it more and more.

Eric: Sure.

@ProfessorStew: So my hope is that people will find time to put the phones down to interact and engage with other humans. But I do see that there's a wave of people who will be more connected to their technology their wife, therapists, executive, professional coach, than to humans, than to each other.

Eric: Yeah.

@ProfessorStew: of saddens me a little bit.

Eric: Very unfortunate. I had a lady that I was meeting with last week and she was talking about how she trained. She created some an agent on open Claw. The agent's name is Marcy, and she talks to Marcy more than she talks to her husband. And her husband has recognized this and called her out for it, but she prefers to [00:07:00] talk to Marcy over her husband.

Eric: Right. That's interesting.

@ProfessorStew: and you know what's so what's now? I ki Okay. That is interesting because I'm kinda, I'm kind of feeling that a little bit. That's another conversation for another day. I'm kind of feeling that a little bit. If that means that her and her husband can still just have a great time and still be loving to each other and still enjoy life. Or does the husband feel like that's some form of infidelity?

Eric: That's, that's something new to think about. Is it infidelity when you're going that deep with ai? Yeah.

@ProfessorStew: Because of, I've, I've been called out for it being in, in infidelity when I'm liking on a woman's pictures.

Eric: Sure.

@ProfessorStew: You know the thought of being with a number woman is Or if I'm being too intimate in conversations, sharing things in my, that's [00:08:00] infidelity. And so is this And people, I'm sure people, oh no, that's not in this.

@ProfessorStew: Is this it? Okay. Well that's is about,

Eric: Might be

@ProfessorStew: about,

Eric: be though, because you use the key word through intimacy. If you got more intimacy with the machine than your, your mate, that's, that's a problem I would imagine. It is. I haven't been in that situation yet. I'm sure I will be, but I seems like it'd be a problem.

@ProfessorStew: well this is what I see. I, this is the direct direction I see people going. It's like humans are, let me down. This.

Eric: Right.

@ProfessorStew: won't let me, Chad won't let me down. Chad will talk to me. How? Talk to me nice Chad. You know what I mean? Like,

Eric: Talk to me when I wanna talk, right? 24 7. Yeah.

@ProfessorStew: and agree with me. Agree with me, don't disagree with me. Build me up. Give me those words of affirmation. Oh my gosh, people, I wanna hear your thoughts about this conversation in the chat. me know what y'all thinking about

Eric: I like that [00:09:00] though, man. Hype me up. I mean, I think it has its place, right? You have them days where you need that. You know what I mean? Tell me. I'm that dude. I gotta go to a meeting in a minute. I need to hear it. You got all the background information on what I've done. Tell me I'm that dude before I go to this meeting.

Eric: I really need this chat. Hey, that might be very helpful. You know what I mean? You might not be.

@ProfessorStew: I. For some people, I bet that that's very it's need. Okay. Okay. No diss, no diss to those of people who need that. I'm not gonna diss you. not. 'cause not everybody is able to get that for themselves or from their circle of influence around them.

Eric: Right,

@ProfessorStew: what you need to feel good about yourself to build yourself up, for it.

Eric: right,

@ProfessorStew: it.

Eric: right.

@ProfessorStew: a competitive world out here. So

Eric: I agree.

@ProfessorStew: Go for

Eric: Yep. And maybe you need it right at that moment, so maybe your partner will do it, but they're in the meeting, they're not available. So, you know. Okay. So this has been a great conversation. I hope you all have [00:10:00] enjoyed it as much as we have. This is season eight, episode 52.

Eric: What's your relationship with ai? This is Eric signing off Big Stu. We will see you all in the next episode. Until then, pace.

@ProfessorStew: Peace, peace.