The analysis draws on Thatcher's work with Grace Farms' global supply chain, including a visit to a women-led coffee partner in Ethiopia, as an example of work with visible social meaning. Thatcher does not argue that AI adoption is the problem; rather, he contends that the productivity gains AI delivers are only valuable if leaders deliberately reinvest that time into better roles, stronger management, and clearer purpose.
For in-house counsel and general counsel overseeing AI governance, the piece underscores a growing risk: AI implementations that succeed technically can fail culturally if organizations do not intentionally redesign work and management practices alongside deployment. As AI adoption accelerates through 2025 and 2026, the question is no longer whether the technology can save time, but whether leadership will use that time to improve how people work—or simply demand more.