The GenAI 'crutch': why teams must learn before they lean

It’s hard to argue with the productivity gains of GenAI tools like ChatGPT: tasks that once took hours now take minutes. But amid the rush to automate, a fundamental risk is emerging. GenAI is becoming a crutch. And if not careful, it could quietly erode the skills our teams need to remain effective, adaptable, and competitive in the long term.

Business leaders must therefore encourage teams to ‘learn before they lean’. While these tools can augment our work, they shouldn’t replace understanding and they should definitely not shortcut learning. When using GenAI, the principle that needs to be adopted is: if you couldn’t do it yourself, you shouldn’t use it to do it for you.

Take software development as an example. AI tools can now generate entire blocks of code on command. But unless the developer understands what the code is meant ...