How to Let the Secret Cyborgs Out: 7 Ideas for Leaders
Advice for leaders about how to embrace and encourage a culture of curiosity and learning about AI
By Cyndi Coon & Shannon Mullen O’Keefe
The term cyborg is short for cybernetic organism.
Cybernetics is about communications and automatic control systems in both machines and living things.
So a cyborg can be a human (organism) combined with cybernetic parts — machine parts. Typically, in order to be a cyborg, these parts have to make you more useful — more valuable than just your human parts.
For a long time, there has been a claim that we’re all cyborgs now.
After all, what are we without our cellphones? They extend our capabilities, don’t they? They are more or less attached to our hands and we use our phones as an extension of our brain. Can most of us even find our way without a digital map device anymore?
So it seems we are all a little — cyborg — these days.
But in this article, we want to talk about a specific cyborg. Not you and me, the usual cyborgs. This cyborg is the same cyborg that the tech writer Ethan Mollick has been trying to call our attention to.
The Secret Cyborg.
In his article Detecting the Secret Cyborg, he points out that business leaders need to pay attention to this phenomenon of secret cyborgs multiplying in their midst.
But it is not an easy thing to pay attention to. As these cyborgs are rather invisible. And this isn’t because they have invisible machine parts. It is because they are…
Hiding.
They’re afraid.
They’re afraid to make themselves known.
They’re afraid to speak up.
This is a worst-case scenario for leaders.
When there are secret things lurking in invisible corridors right in their midst.
Fear hides in the shadows. And it gets nothing done there.
What is a Secret Cyborg?
A secret cyborg is a worker who is actively curious about Generative AI (Gen AI) and so they are doing all they can to learn all about it. As they learn, these workers are uncovering ways to streamline tasks. They are discovering ways in which to automate time-consuming and tedious parts of their jobs.
But they’re not doing this on the job. They’re doing this late at night, and on the weekends. They’re joining Discord channels and other online spaces where they are playing with new Gen AI tools together in a community with other Gen AI enthusiasts — other secret cyborgs. They are the Gen AI enthusiasts who say, I’m going to learn about Gen AI in any way I can, even if my workplace isn’t creating the space for it.
This is the crux of the problem.
Many of these secret cyborgs may not be telling their companies about the discoveries they are making; or how it is enabling them to do their work more efficiently. So it is possible that these secret cyborgs may use their newfound discoveries in the workplace, but not openly.
As we teeter on the edge of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, powered by data and algorithms rather than steam and steel, we find ourselves in uncharted territory.
This article explores why a secret cyborg might prefer to stay in the shadows and what leaders might do to draw them back out.
The Good News: Work: Secret Cyborgs Are Humans Embracing Enhancements
That secret cyborgs exist, shows that not all people are afraid of AI, as one might surmise from the headlines. And that some workers are not only merely accepting AI; but are actively choosing to integrate tools like ChatGPT into their daily lives and work shows a positive future is possible.
After all, AI’s impact on work can be significant. Individuals in a range of professions, from teachers to consultants, business and community leaders, might use AI to enhance their work and productivity.
Consider this example of a company already testing its benefit:
In a study involving customer service agents at an enterprise software company, agents using AI handled 13.8% more customer inquiries per hour compared to those not using AI. This increased efficiency was part of broader research, which showed that AI tools could increase business users’ throughput by an average of 66% across various tasks.
This example shows why leaders may want to embrace the technology’s potential. Its process enhancements and streamlining effects are enticing as it relates to performance. And of course, this attraction to the streamlining of work isn’t new. It mirrors historical progress. I.e. the steam engine liberated humans from doing hard manual labor.
But secret cyborgs see a different potential. They see AI might also liberate their minds, allowing for more and different variations of their own creativity to emerge.
These curious cyborgs see potential to stretch their minds and their own creativity. Thus, their engagement in the secret learning forums. Generative AI, with its heightened reasoning and precision, can be a tool that individuals use to push their intellectual boundaries.
So, this secret society of secret cyborgs might also be a testament to the potential that exists for personal growth.
A secret cyborg’s choice to embrace AI can reflect a deep desire to evolve and adapt.
To learn and grow.
The Other News: What is the problem?
So, why is there a need for secrecy?
Here is the deal: The shadow lurking is likely happening because the secret cyborgs hear the same stories that all of us hear in the media.
One prevailing narrative is that Generative AI will not enhance our work — rather, it will replace our jobs. One recent study said that seventy-two percent of CHRO’s see AI replacing jobs. And lots of workers aren’t ready for such a change. In fact, in that same study, “53% said they don’t feel prepared to work with AI, robotics or other advanced technologies.” Follow that with more than a quarter, 26% who said they are “not at all prepared.”
So, there is a big gap in understanding between what might be and where people are in their development and understanding of the technology.
The narrative that exists about the prospect of jobs getting replaced is likely fueling more than a little fear for most workers who are feeling not prepared for this emergence of new technology. The idea of losing a job is more than a little scary for most workers. It makes the top 10 list of life’s greatest stressors repeatedly. People derive meaning and identity from their work, they build friendships and relationships there. But work is more than meaning, identity, and relationships to most people. Perhaps the most oft-cited benefit of work is that it provides financially for the worker and their family.
So, this idea looming that AI might replace jobs might be scary to those who don’t feel prepared for it.
But it doesn’t inspire those workers who are embracing the technology and uncovering efficiencies to want to broadcast them either.
It may also be compliance with rules or regulations, or a fear of being judged differently, as Mollick suggests in his article.
This is where fear takes root and where everyone scatters to the shadows.
But this is too bad.
It is a worst-case scenario that isn’t necessary.
It is a missed leadership opportunity, too.
The Opportunity for Leaders: 7 Ideas
The rise of secret cyborgs is not just about AI’s transformative power; it’s a narrative of human choice in the face of technological evolution.
AI challenges us to rethink our relationship with technology, recognizing AI’s potential as a transformative force for human ingenuity and societal progress.
As we navigate this new era, the fusion of human and machine intelligence, that the secret cyborgs are unearthing, may help to reshape our work and life. The secret cyborgs might help to illuminate the way to ensure that AI integration happens in the most positive way, for themselves, their colleagues, and their companies.
Their willingness to explore and learn and to test boundaries may yield discoveries to help educate the rest of us as we redefine our capabilities and open new horizons for the possibility of wild innovation and creativity.
But in order for this to happen in the open — and not in secret or in the shadows, leaders need to invest in creating a culture that invites transparent communication — especially about the scariest things.
Here are 7 things leaders can do to invite this sort of culture to take shape and to invite the secret cyborgs out of the shadows:
- Imagine What Can Be: Craft a New Narrative
Harvard Business School professor Karim Lakhani offers important advice to leaders in this recent podcast in which he discussed the advances of AI and potential impacts on work. He suggests that leaders outwardly embrace a learning culture and that rather than look at how AI might enable them to streamline work, they rather choose to consider how the new technology might also open the door to new work. He invites leaders to imagine how their teams might free up time to solve new problems.
Leaders ask: What is possible for us to solve if we free up more time? What new problems might need our team’s attention and ingenuity?
2. Bust Rumors: Acknowledge the fear
Even as a new narrative takes shape, the fear associated with the technology is understandable. The opportunity here is for leaders to address the fear. To invite it into the room so that teams can have open and honest discussions about it. This tactic can be called “rumor busting.” If a leader isn’t hearing the rumor surface during the discussion (perhaps due to fear), they may surface it themselves, so that it comes out from behind the shadows and can be directly addressed.
Leaders ask: What rumors are you hearing about AI and how it will impact our work? If they hear none during the discussion, they might say, “Here are the rumors I’m hearing about it that I’d like for us to talk about together.”
3. Embrace Cyborg Mentoring: Invite the Secret Cyborgs to Mentor You (and Others)
A few years ago, the benefits of “Reverse Mentoring” were making the rounds. Reverse mentoring is the idea that more junior colleagues could mentor more senior colleagues (the opposite of the norm where senior colleagues typically mentor more junior colleagues.) With this new technology, there is a new variation of this opportunity for a type of mentoring to happen. The opportunity here is for leaders to invite the secret cyborgs to act as mentors. Invite them to the table to share what they are learning with you and invite them to become a mentor to others.
Leaders ask: What if we create space for our secret cyborgs to mentor others?
4. Recognize The Explorers On Your Team
Ethan Mollick, whose article we mentioned earlier, suggests that leaders offer incentives, even financial incentives to invite the secret cyborgs out of the shadows. Financial incentives might be one way. Another incentive that leaders might consider could be to simply recognize the explorers on the team. Leaders might take the opportunity to highlight the learning accomplishments of the secret cyborgs. Confer a ‘Curiosity Council’ monthly (or quarterly) and have the council allocate an award to the learner who demonstrates a skill that will enhance the growth and development of individuals, the team, and company.
Leaders ask: What is our process for recognizing the learning accomplishments of the curious explorers on our team?
5. Value Learning: Activate That Value by Creating Time and Space to Learn
Leaders might signal their acceptance of the technology by valuing learning. To do this, they might protect some time for teams to invest in learning about the technology. This might mean some blocking and tackling, so that team members feel supported enough to take time away from other tasks during company time to experiment. It can be difficult for leaders to protect time during demanding work periods, but they may communicate that during cyclical downtime, that they will set aside time for this learning to happen. Depending on the team and company, this might be during summer months, or during other cyclical slowdown times.
Leaders ask: What time have we protected for learning and the exploration of new technology on our team? How can our team trust this time will remain protected?
6. Educate Teams about Benefits and Pitfalls
Despite the potential upsides, the technology also represents some potential pitfalls, too. Consider the recent headlines about the New York Times lawsuit against ChatGPT for copyright infringement as one example. Consider also, recent research that shows that the use of Gen AI can have detrimental effects on work. It can destroy value, if not used cautiously. With this in mind, take care to keep teams at the cutting edge of information about all aspects and angles of the technology. Invite teams to share transparently about roadblocks they encounter and create feedback loops about news and events that relate to the uses of the technology within the teams.
Leaders ask: Have we taken time to educate our team about the benefits and pitfalls of the new technology? What do we need to watch out for?
7. Adopt an Ethics Framework
Last, it’s impossible to know how the technology might impact the team. With this in mind, consider adopting an ethical framework as is offered in the new book 10 Moral Questions: How do design tech and AI responsibly (Note: Shannon Mullen O’Keefe is a co-author of this book.) The book offers 5 Values and 10 Moral Questions for leaders to use with their teams as they engage with new technology. The Values and Questions offered in the book can guide conversations and underpin policies. They can be used in conversations with team members and also help leaders and their teams to guide their decisions.
Leaders ask: Do we have an ethics framework? Is our team aware of the framework? Do we actively reflect on the framework and use it to guide our work?
Conclusion
It seems we are moving toward a future in which we will experience the seamless integration of technology and human capability.
The emergence of ‘secret cyborgs’ — individuals who explore and integrate AI into their work independently heralds a transformative era in the workplace.
Secret cyborgs represent a frontier of workers who are not only accepting AI, but who proactively use AI tools to enhance their job performance and creativity.
The opportunity is for leaders to embrace this enthusiasm. Not only for what it represents to performance but also for growth and development.
By fostering a culture of openness and transparent communication about AI and its applications, leaders can encourage a shift from secretive experimentation to open collaboration and learning.
This approach not only demystifies AI but also aligns its capabilities with human ingenuity, paving the way for an era where AI becomes a partner, used to enhance human potential and creativity rather than to threaten it.
The secret cyborgs stand to become the vanguard of a new era in the workforce, where human and AI collaboration leads to unprecedented levels of innovation, efficiency, and creative problem-solving.
The key lies in embracing this change with curiosity and openness, and ethical experimentation, allowing all of us to harness the full potential of AI as a tool for human advancement.
Cyndi Coon is a time traveler and rule-bender, nerding out for good using data, science and curious questions as an Applied Futurist, author, creative, ecosystem builder, facilitator, producer, researcher, storyteller and publisher for private partnerships, enterprise, governments, the military, higher education, and industry. She is an Affiliate at the Center for Emergency Management & Homeland Security, and is a Co-Chair of the Human Wisdom Committee IEEE Planet Positive Strong Sustainability by Design and the Chief Media Officer for Content Evolution. She leads the i4j (global innovation for jobs workforce) and Coolabilities communities. She is the Founder and Principal Futurist at Applied Futures Lab, Founder at Laboratory5 Inc. and Co-Founder of the Threatcasting Lab.
Shannon Mullen O’Keefe is a thinker, strategist, and writer, dedicated to imagining what we can build and achieve together. She is a founding member of QCollective and co-author of a new book 10 Moral Questions: How to design tech and AI responsibly. She is also curator for The Museum of Ideas, a project that invites leaders, thinkers and everyday experts to express the ideas that will shape our better future. She practiced the art of leadership for close to three decades, leading workplace engagement and culture change initiatives. She has served in leadership and executive roles in a global professional services firm and in a nature-based nonprofit organization. Find her leadership thinking on linkedin.
