Top of Mind Thursday – May 22, 2026: Abdicating Intelligence

Twice this week I found myself facilitating a Zoom meeting where there were more AI bot attendees than actual humans.

How could that be? Because some of the people invited chose not to attend but sent their bots instead.

These were not presentations, where one could argue an AI bot could effectively capture the key talking points for review afterwards. These were interactive brainstorming meetings where every attendee was expected to participate and asked their input. Maybe some day it will be different, but at least for now, your AI bot is not able to actively participate in this type of discussion.

There’s so much talk and concern about AI taking over our world—eliminating jobs, disrupting relationships, even acting as a surrogate partner for some. Yet, it appears to me that too many people are abdicating their responsibility and allowing the bots to run around and do their thinking for them.

I regularly see posts and newsletters that appear to obviously have been written by AI. I see graphics and videos that absolutely must be AI-generated, because they strain credibility. There are articles that must have used AI research to confirm their arguments—without checking the sources or confirming the results are accurate or credible.

AI is a set of tools and technologies. These tools are neither good nor evil—they just exist. It’s what we do with them that determines if they help or hinder our work and our personal lives. And it’s how and where we choose to engage them in our lives that determines whether we remain in control or let the lunatics run the asylum, so to speak.

The choice is up to you. In my case, it took only a second or two to realize what was happening and understand that a room full of bots was not helpful for what we needed to do. My action was simple: I kicked every single one out of the meeting and will tell invitees in the future not to send in bots in their place.

Are you willing to abdicate your role to AI? Or will you take control of where and how these tools are used? Choose wisely.

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