A few weeks ago, I shared a nuanced view about how the promise of AI will play out in corporate America. The short version: AI isn't going to solve everything. Despite the hype cycles and sweeping promises, humans are still the ones in the driver’s seat but we way we are being asked to work is changing.
According to the latest data from TrueUp, tech layoffs haven’t fully subsided, and for those who remain, the mandate is clear: do more with less. When your team is leaner but the roadmap is just as ambitious, you have two choices: burn out, or get much, much better at delegation.
In the pre-AI world, delegation was a human-to-human art. Managers would assess a team member's capabilities and decide what tasks to delegate to them. Today, everyone (not just managers) needs to learn how apply that same management rigor to AI.
In a recent blog post, Metal Toad VP of Engineering, Nathan Wilkerson, and Head of PMO, Vinicius Fruet, laid out a framework for the 6 Levels of AI Delegation. Inspired by the seminal book, 5 Levels of Leadership by John C. Maxwell, they have adapted the six levels of delegation Maxwell describes, and adapts them to AI. The levels start at Level 1 (Gathering info: "Look into this and report back") to go all the way to Level 6 (Full Autonomy: "Take action, no further contact required").
The trap most leaders fall into is jumping straight to Level 6 with a tool they haven't vetted, or staying stuck at Level 1 because they don't trust the tech. Managing AI is exactly like managing people: you start with tight guardrails and expand the scope as trust is earned, understanding that different tasks call for different levels of delegation, even when using the same model.
(The blog post is worth a read)
The "do more with less" era doesn't have to be a grind, it can be a catalyst for building the tools we actually need. I’m incredibly proud of how our teams at Metal Toad are leaning into this during our recent Metal Toad hackathon. They aren’t just using AI; they’re experimenting with building systems that eliminate the invisible work that drains our days. Here are a few of the things they explored:
If you’re feeling the squeeze of a smaller team and a bigger workload, remember that AI is an agent, not a savior. Start by asking yourself: What level am I delegating at today? If you're still doing the manual labor of handoffs and forecasting, it’s time to move up a level.
And if you're looking for summer plans, sure to join us at the AWS Publishing Innovation Hackathon coming up on July 28th. It's a unique opportunity to pioneer the next generation of customer experiences in a rapidly evolving industry. More details are soon to come, but don't miss out on it.