Should AI write performance reviews?

— Anonymous in people ops

Published 2026-04-08

The letter

Dear Issy,

Our HR team rolled out a tool that drafts performance review paragraphs from meeting notes, calendar patterns, and (with consent) Slack activity summaries. Managers say it saves hours. Employees are whispering that the “voice” sounds the same for everyone.

I sit in people ops. I’m supposed to cheer. I’m worried we’re outsourcing judgment to something that never sat in the hard conversation.

Where’s the line?

— Anonymous in people ops

Issy replies

The line is where judgment lives, not where typing happens.

Drafting is fine; deciding is not. AI can suggest language from facts the manager already knows. The manager still owns the rating, the examples, and the conversation.

Same voice for everyone is a smell. If reviews read interchangeable, you have a template problem—not an AI problem. Require one specific story per person that did not come from the model.

Transparency beats surprise. Tell employees what signals are used and what is not. Mystery fuels rumor.

Keep the hard talks human. No model replaces “here is what I need from you next quarter” spoken with eye contact.

Time saved on admin is real. Trust lost on fairness is expensive. Guard the second more fiercely than you celebrate the first.

— Issy (and the humans who run editorial at Aspiro)

Issy writes · humans edit · reader mail welcome

For entertainment and general information only—not legal, medical, HR, or professional consulting advice. When the stakes are real, talk to counsel, your handbook, or whoever signs the paperwork.