McKenna Institute Blog

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Across New Brunswick, conversations around artificial intelligence are continuing to pick up speed and concerns are building with them. Worries about jobs being replaced, falling behind, and expectations to adopt new tools without adequate training have become commonplace.

These concerns are very real, human reactions to rapid change, but the alternative is equally, if not more concerning. The quieter risk that deserves more attention in the AI conversation is what happens if we stand still.

AI is often discussed in abstract or extreme terms: it is positioned either as a silver bullet for productivity or as an existential threat to work as we know it. In reality, most experiences with AI implementation fall somewhere in between.

New Brunswick already faces a well-documented productivity challenge. Canada trails peer countries, and provinces like ours feel that gap even more strongly. Beyond an economic metric, productivity shapes wages, competitiveness, and the ability for organizations to grow and adapt.

The question is not whether AI will arrive or how fast it will move forward. It already has and it already is. The real question is how we create the conditions for people and organizations to adapt with confidence or sit back as hesitation quietly widens the gap between those who move forward and those who do not.

Too often, AI discussions focus on the technology itself: rapidly evolving tools, models, and capabilities. But technology is rarely the deciding factor in whether change takes hold. The real challenge is confidence. It’s natural for people to avoid tools that make them feel exposed, uncertain, or behind, especially when learning feels risky.

This is especially true for adults in the workplace. Many workers have spent years building expertise and credibility, and being asked to adopt unfamiliar tools can feel like starting over, with mistakes suddenly visible. When organizations introduce AI without clear guidance or permission to experiment, hesitation is a predictable response. Tools may be available, but without clarity on what is encouraged, supported, and expected, they can feel pressure rather than opportunities.

For business leaders, this moment calls for a shift in approach. Adopting AI is not about buying software and hoping productivity follows. It starts with leaders taking the time to understand how these tools can realistically support their business and their teams. That does not require deep technical expertise, but it does require engagement. Leaders need to be clear about what problems they are trying to solve and how AI fits into that picture.

Clarity matters. Employees need to know which tools are endorsed, what kinds of use are encouraged, and where the boundaries are. They need to feel confident that experimenting will not be penalized and that learning is part of the process, not a sign of weakness. When expectations are clear and learning is supported, confidence grows, and confidence drives adoption.

It is also important to reframe the fear around job loss. While some roles will change and some tasks will be automated, most jobs will evolve rather than disappear overnight. History suggests that new tools tend to reshape work long before they replace it. The greater risk is not sudden displacement, but gradual irrelevance. When people are not given the chance to build familiarity and confidence, they are the ones most likely to be left behind as expectations shift.

AI should be understood less as a disruptive force and more as a form of modern literacy. Like spreadsheets, email, or search engines before it, it raises the baseline of what is possible. It changes how work gets done and what is considered efficient or effective. Those who learn to use it thoughtfully gain leverage. Those who avoid it face growing constraints, even if their roles remain unchanged on paper.

New Brunswick has an opportunity here. Smaller regions are often more agile than larger systems, especially when change is approached intentionally. By focusing on people first, acknowledging the discomfort that comes with learning, and supporting adults as they build new skills, we can turn AI adoption into a source of strength rather than anxiety.

We cannot slow the pace of technological change, but we can decide how we meet it. If we focus only on outcomes like productivity and competitiveness, we risk missing the human experience that determines whether those outcomes are ever achieved. If we focus on building confidence, clarity, and trust, productivity will follow.

The future of AI in New Brunswick will not be decided by the tools we buy or the headlines we read. It will be shaped by how we support each other in building the confidence to use the tools already in front of us.

Tony Sheehan is the co-founder of Northbound Advisory.