The Psychology of AI Adoption at Work with Author, Dr. Gleb Tsipursky

Dr. Gleb Tsipursky comes to the Outsource Accelerator Podcast, this time as the author of a new book, The Psychology of AI Adoption at Work: From Resistance to Results, out with Georgetown University Press on September 1.

He is a behavioural scientist and CEO of Disaster Avoidance Experts, and he focuses on the human side of the AI wave.

The conversation digs into why so many AI rollouts fail, and how leaders can get anxious, resistant teams to actually adopt AI. For an intensely human business like outsourcing, it is a timely message.

The Psychology of AI Adoption at Work

Gleb frames his book as a first of its kind, grounded in real cases rather than theory, and aimed at the people making adoption decisions.

“It’s based on over 100 business case studies of my work with various companies on AI adoption, as well as over 30 interviews with leaders in companies ranging from Microsoft and Uber to outsourcing companies.

It’s actually the first book on how to adapt to AI effectively within a company.”

His core argument is that most failure is human, not technical, and he points to a widely cited study to make the case.

“There was a study by MIT showing that something like about 95% of AI implementation projects don’t show a gain from a profit and loss perspective. So they lose money instead of causing companies to make money.”

Why AI is different from past technology

Gleb argues that treating AI like any other software rollout is a mistake. Unlike a CRM or a database, AI supplies the one thing people were hired for.

“AI is a tool that has the potential to replace a lot of people through providing intelligence.”

It is also arriving far faster than anything before it, which is part of why it feels so destabilising.

“AI has been adopted at about three times the fastest previous technologies, like the smartphone.”

Address the fear before the upskilling

Because the barrier is emotional, the data starts from a place of worry, not curiosity.

“There was a recent survey from Pew Research showing that something like 50% of respondents are more anxious than excited about AI as a tool, and only 10% are more excited than anxious.”

So Gleb insists that training comes second. Push tools onto scared people and they quietly resist.

“This is not about upskilling… The first step is addressing people’s emotions, anxieties… if people are motivated to learn the tool, the upskilling comes easily.”

Once the fear lifts, the upside is concrete, and that is what makes adoption stick.

“I guarantee to everyone that if you’re a white collar worker, you will save over two hours a day by learning how to use AI tools.”

Outsourced roles are first in line

This point matters most for the outsourcing world. Gleb is blunt that offshore staff and virtual assistants tend to be the earliest targets for replacement.

“The first folks who tend to be replaced by AI are the people who are perceived to be the least emotionally attached, connected to the rest of the company… people who are outsourced. Those are the first people replaced.”

His view of the future is not no work, but different work, where every person oversees a set of AI tools.

“The future is that all of us will be managing AI agents, and so jobs will be radically transformed.”

How leaders actually drive adoption

Gleb’s prescription pairs a carrot with a stick. First, remove the fear with a clear commitment, and channel the savings into growth rather than cuts.

“The company should make an announcement that nobody will be fired because of AI usage… for any time saved, for any resources saved, we’ll just not be hiring additional staff, and we will focus on expansion, we’ll focus on growth.”

Then he makes the other half explicit: security depends on actually using the tools.

“Even though nobody will be let go because of AI tools, if people don’t learn how to use AI tools and are not effective… that is the reason that they might be let go.”

Done well, he says, the payoff shows up in growth, not layoffs.

“Companies that have adopted AI successfully, they grow their headcount 10% faster… they’re simply eating the lunch of the companies that haven’t adopted AI successfully.”

Measuring AI’s value

Finally, Gleb insists the results are far from vague. He starts every engagement by timing a workflow before and after AI.

“I first have them start by measuring how much time it takes them to complete a certain workflow, and then how much time it takes them to complete that workflow once they have fully embraced AI… the large majority of beneficial AI usage is saving time.”

By his estimate, roughly 80% of the benefit comes from efficiency and about 20% from doing more with the same resources.

For Gleb, the lesson is that winning the AI wave is a psychological problem before it is a technological one. Calm the fear, guarantee a future for people who learn the tools, and adoption follows.

The Psychology of AI Adoption at Work: From Resistance to Results by Dr. Gleb Tsipursky is published by Georgetown University Press and releases on September 1. It is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other major bookstores, with free companion resources at disasteravoidanceexperts.com/aibook.

To learn more about his work, visit disasteravoidanceexperts.com or connect with Dr. Gleb Tsipursky on LinkedIn.

If you’d like to learn more about what we do in the outsourcing space, send us an email at ask@outsourceaccelerator.com.