The People Side of Automation: Future-Proofing Your Workforce in an AI Mirage

By Nika Bennett

Automation and artificial intelligence have dominated the headlines for years, often portrayed as an unstoppable force that will render human thought and labor obsolete. Will robots take our jobs? Will AI make entire industries vanish overnight? Many businesses feel caught between anxiety and hope, waiting for the seismic shift that seems to always be “just around the corner.”

The truth is, most organizations aren’t paralyzed by technology. They’re paralyzed by FOMO and FOMU: the fear of missing out and the fear of messing up. One keeps them chasing shiny objects; the other keeps them clinging to the past.

But what if our assumptions about automation are fundamentally flawed? What if the future of work isn’t about replacement, but enablement? As someone who has spent a large part of their career scaling teams and driving operational change, I’ve seen firsthand what automation can do in a workplace. It is a powerful lever for empowering people, when done with intention and care. The real challenge lies not in the technology itself, but in how we prepare our workforce to thrive alongside it.

In this blog, we’ll explore the myths and realities of automation, the hidden costs of clinging to outdated workflows, and the crucial role of leadership in guiding teams through change. Most importantly, we’ll focus on why the “people side” of automation is the key to future-proofing your business in an era of rapid innovation.

The AI Mirage: Always a Year Away

Every year, predictions swirl: “This is the year AI will change everything!” “Automation will run your business!” And yet, for most organizations, the transformation is slow, incremental, and—frankly—less dramatic than the headlines suggest.

This phenomenon is what I call the AI Mirage. It’s the belief that transformative change is constantly just out of reach, and that the only thing standing between today and a fully automated future is the flip of a switch. In reality, automation is rarely about instant transformation.

Instead, it’s about making strategic, incremental improvements that make people more effective. Gartner’s latest findings on agentic AI suggest the real opportunity in automation isn’t about replacing people. It’s about augmenting them. Leading organizations aren’t only focused on cutting costs; they’re using automation to boost productivity, strengthen decision-making, and reshape how humans and machines collaborate. But here’s the pitfall: success depends less on the technology itself and more on the culture that enables it.

Why does this matter? Because when we chase the AI Mirage,we risk missing the practical, people-centered changes that truly move the needle. Automation isn’t a sci-fi takeover. It’s a continuous journey of making work better, one workflow at a time.

The Hidden Pain of Stagnation: Why “The Way We’ve Always Done It” Hurts Your Team

Change is hard – but what’s harder is staying stuck in inefficient, outdated processes that drain morale and productivity. The hidden pain of stagnation often goes unnoticed until it’s too late.

Take the example of fulfillment centers: a world where tape guns, paper cuts, and wasted material are daily realities. These aren’t just minor annoyances. They are symptoms of a deeper problem: a culture that values tradition over progress.

If you’ve ever watched a picker navigate an outdated warehouse, you’ll see them wrestling with multiple totes per line item and following a convoluted path that’s more maze than workflow. It’s not a skill issue. It’s a systems issue. And your team feels it every day.

Why do teams resist new tools? Often, it’s because they haven’t been shown the “why” behind automation or have a “fear of messing up”. When automation removes bottlenecks and makes their jobs easier, people don’t fight it, they embrace it. The key is to focus on eliminating pain points, not just introducing shiny new tech.

Change is Not a Rocket Ship: The Power of Small Steps

One of the biggest misconceptions about automation is that it requires a massive, expensive overhaul — a rocket ship to cross the bridge into the future. However, meaningful change often starts with something much simpler. Small, intentional steps that deliver big impact.

Where should you start? Packaging is one of the most impactful, yet overlooked, areas for driving operational improvement. The packaging workflow touches everything: how efficiently orders move, how many touches are required, and whether your team is focused on high-value tasks or bogged down by unnecessary roadblocks.

Here’s what incremental automation can do for your packaging process:

• ‍Reduce manual tasks: Eliminate repetitive work that wastes time and energy.
• ‍Automate routine steps: Free up employees to focus on problem-solving, not fixing inefficiencies.
• ‍Create a ripple effect: Improvements in packaging cascade across labor, material usage, freight costs, and customer experience.

Small, incremental steps towards increasing automation can lead to incredible gains in productivity and morale. You don’t need to reinvent your business overnight; you just need to start climbing the mountain, one step at a time.

Adaptable Businesses Succeed

In the packaging automation industry, clients aren’t really coming to us looking to eliminate workers. More often, we are encountering businesses that want to find ways to make their teams more effective. Businesses may believe that their biggest challenge is costs or skill shortages, but that’s only part of the picture. The real challenge is inefficiency.

Consider a major e-commerce company drowning in slow fulfillment cycles, wasted movement, and outdated processes. Hiring more people isn’t the answer. Instead, the focus should be on fixing the system so existing employees can perform at their best.

Automation removes barriers, allowing businesses to stop playing defense and start optimizing for the future. It’s not about fewer jobs, it’s about better jobs. People move from low-value work to roles that allow for creativity, judgment, and growth.

Change Leadership: Guiding Your Team Past the AI Mirage

Change doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Your team takes cues from leadership. If you position automation as a threat, you breed fear and resistance. If you present it as a path to advancement, you inspire engagement and innovation.

At Packsize, our mission goes beyond technology. We help customers future-proof their people. The most successful leaders are those who see automation as an opportunity to evolve roles, not eliminate them.

What does this look like in practice?

·       Transparent communication about why changes are happening

·       Training and upskilling employees to thrive in new roles

·       Recognition and rewards for those who embrace change

The difference between those who fall for the AI Mirage and those who move past it is simple: mindset. Leaders who see automation as a partnership between people and technology create organizations that are more resilient, innovative, and adaptable.

Don’t Get Left Behind

The AI Mirage is comfortable. It lets businesses postpone hard decisions and delay action, believing transformation will magically happen next year. But the reality is, automation is not a threat. It’s a tool. A tool for staying competitive, creative, and capable in a rapidly changing world.

The question isn’t whether change is coming. It’s whether you’ll lead it or be left behind.

Take Action

Evaluate your workflows, listen to your employees, and identify your pain points. Partner with experts who understand both technology and people. Above all, lead with empathy and vision. The future belongs to those who build it, together.

Are you ready to move past the AI Mirage and create a workplace where automation and people thrive side by side? Let’s start the conversation and make change a reality.