AI Told Them to Fire Someone. Here’s What Happened Next.

A few months ago, a client called me in a panic. They'd just been hit with a wrongful termination claim.

The backstory?

They'd been struggling with an underperforming team member for weeks. Frustrated and overwhelmed, they turned to ChatGPT for advice.

The AI's response was clinical and efficient: "Consider performance improvement plans, additional training, or if necessary, here are the steps to terminate employment."

So they picked option three.

No performance review. No coaching conversation. No attempt to understand what was really going wrong.

They just... fired them.

The employee put in an unfair dismissal claim. The rest of the team started looking over their shoulders. And my client learned a very expensive lesson about the difference between easy information and wisdom.

The Seductive Trap of Algorithmic Leadership

Here's what's happening: we're now outsourcing our hardest decisions to systems that have never felt the weight of disappointing someone, never sat across from a crying employee, never had to look a team in the eye after making the wrong call.

AI gives us the illusion of objectivity. It feels clean. Rational. Defensible.

But people leadership is more than applying tools and rules - it's a relationship to be navigated.

And when you're explaining to your legal team why you skipped due process because "ChatGPT said it was an option," don't expect AI to cover the legal bills.

Sure, you can ask ChatGPT for the 5 sure-fire steps to sack someone.

And it’ll give you an answer. It does it with the same breezy confidence it recommends a pasta recipe.

No hesitation. No context. No consequences. No care for the facts.

But people leadership is deeply human and AI will never get that.

It’s not about having the right script or the fastest answer.

It’s about taking responsibility, thinking critically, acting wisely and recognising that every decision affects real people, in real ways.

I'm Not Anti-AI—I'm Pro-Discernment

I use AI all the time: to organize thoughts, refine ideas, practice conversations, even challenge my blind spots.

But when it's time to lead?

I shut the laptop. I show up. I get human.

Because at the end of the day...

AI can support your thinking

But people need leaders who can read the room.