Hybrid teams are the future of communication. But are we ready to trust AI as much as we trust humans?

I spend a lot of time thinking about this at UponAI We don’t see AI as a silent tool sitting quietly in the background.

We treat AI as a teammate, one that learns, adapts, and helps us do better work together. At UponAI our AI agents handle the routine calls, the ones that take up time but don’t need a human touch.

That means our people can focus on problems that need creativity and empathy. But the real magic is in how we set this up: every AI process has a clear rulebook, and we always keep a human in the loop to check, guide, and make sure things are done right. This doesn’t happen by accident.

As leaders, we have to design these systems on purpose. It’s not just about the technology, it’s about trust.

We build trust by being open about how AI works, setting up regular check-ins, and making sure everyone knows where the lines are. We talk openly about ethics and make sure our workflows are clear.

Trust isn’t a feature you can download. It grows from practice, feedback, and showing that AI is here to help…not to replace. I’ve seen firsthand how teams change when they feel supported by AI, not threatened by it.

Work gets smoother. People feel less stress. And the whole team, human and AI, can move faster, together.

🙌 How are you building trust between your people and your AI? What rituals or systems have helped your team feel ready for this new way of working?