Enablement in the age of AI - what to automate, what to humanize
AI won’t replace Enablement. But Enablement that ignores AI might find itself replaced.
The noise around AI is loud - and growing louder. Every week, a new tool promises to automate the next big thing, revolutionize productivity, and do the job better than human could.
But here’s the quiet truth: Enablement is, and always will be, a human function. Built on trust. Designed for change. Driven by culture.
The smartest Enablement teams today aren’t chasing the latest trend. They’re asking a better question: how can AI help us scale smarter without losing the human connection that makes enablement work?
Why AI matters for Enablement (but doesn’t replace it)
Enablement is about creating behavior change - and no AI model can do that for you. But Enablement is also full of repeatable, resource-heavy workflows that AI can handle faster and more efficiently than a human.
The opportunity isn’t in handing over the keys.
It’s in using AI to become more effective as a function and more productive as individuals.
The best Enablement teams will be the ones who know when to lean on AI - and when to lean in as humans.
What to automate: scale smarter, not just faster
There’s a growing list of tasks AI can assist with, but scaling smarter isn’t about automating everything. It’s about focusing on the parts of Enablement where speed and efficiency genuinely create more value.
Here are three high-impact bets:
Content creation
AI can dramatically speed up content production by flipping the traditional model: instead of spending 80% of your time writing and 20% adjusting, you spend 20% outlining and refining, and let the AI generate the heavy first draft. Think training decks, one-pagers, objections handling guides - anything you can quickly customize to your voice and needs.
FAQ & frontline support
Instead of manually answering the same questions about sales processes, CRM fields, or product positioning, AI voice- and chatbots can handle standard inquiries and direct users to resources. This frees up Enablement teams to focus on strategic initiatives rather than becoming an internal help desk.
Personalized learning paths
AI can analyze performance data and surface tailored micro-learnings to reps or partners based on gaps and strengths. Instead of pushing everyone through the same program, you enable individuals to self-correct faster and more effectively.
Used wisely, AI doesn’t remove Enablement from the equation - it moves us up the value chain.
What to humanize: trust, influence, and culture
While AI can make Enablement faster, it can’t replace the core or what makes Enablement powerful: trust and human connection.
There are critical areas where automation should never replace a human touch:
Onboarding experiences and 1:1 coaching
First impressions, nuanced feedback, coaching conversations - these moments build cultural foundations that no automation can replicate. They are emotional, personal, and essential for behavior change.
Stakeholder alignment and change management
Driving adoption across GTM teams requires influence, negotiation, and real-time sense-making. You can’t automate a tense QBR conversation or a strategy session where the room changes direction mid-meeting. True Enablement leadership shows up when people need guidance - not just information.
You can automate workflows.
You cannot automate human trust.
A simple framework: when to automate vs. when to humanize
If you’re wondering whether AI belongs in a specific Enablement workflow, here’s a quick decision guide:
if it’s repeatable, data-driven, low-emotion → automate
if it’s trust-building, strategic, or high-context → humanize
The best Enablement leaders will be the ones who design a system where both play to their strengths - without pretending AI can do what only people can.
Final thought
AI won’t make Enablement obsolete. But it will separate the teams who scale smarter from those who stay stuck. Because the future of Enablement isn’t humans vs. AI. It’s humans and AI - working together, each doing what they do best.
After all, would you really trust a robot to coach your top performer through a tough quarter? Exactly.
