Menu
AI champions and the ‘why’: Five ways to adopt AI with confidence
Experts at The Caterer’s AI webinar set the rules for a happy AI adoption: don’t buy into the hype, include everyone and use your most experienced staff to spread the news
The rise of AI is bringing both optimism and uncertainty for hospitality workers, who worry about job security despite recognising the benefits of the technology. So how can operators make sure they adopt it confidently while recognising where it cannot replace the human touch? That was the question industry experts tackled at The Caterer’s AI: Building Trust in the Workplace webinar, sponsored by scheduling software supplier Deputy.
Speaker Dan Schawbel, managing partner at trend analysts Workplace Intelligence, shared insights from Deputy’s Better Together Report, which highlighted that 57% of hospitality workers use AI at work – the highest rate across all sectors surveyed, including retail and healthcare.
Schawbel was joined by Martin MacPhail, managing director at asset management company 7 Hospitality Management, to discuss how operators can break down the various challenges of AI adoption and offer practical steps for their teams.
Be clear and communicative with employees
Both Deputy’s research and the panel discussion emphasised that the top concern among employees is not about AI itself, rather it was the lack of clear information and guidance on its uses.
“Be clear on what it does, what it doesn’t do, why we are doing it and what it means for everybody’s roles,” said MacPhail. His experience is that frontline workers are ready to embrace AI, but it is often not rolled out properly. “That is leadership issue, not a tech issue,” he said.
MacPhail suggested that managers should have meetings with their teams to ask them which part of their role feels repetitive or adds unnecessary frustration, and show how AI can alleviate some of those pressures. He said: “Use AI to remove friction, not people.”
What you can do now: Hold team conversations to identify repetitive pain points and demonstrate how AI can solve them.
Reinforce how essential humans are to roles
The report found that 98% of hospitality workers believed the human touch is essential to their jobs, with nine out of 10 agreeing that empathy cannot be replaced by machines.
Schawbel said frontline workers should be “optimistic and confident about humans and empathy not being replaced by robots or AI”. He cited the pandemic as proof of frontline workers’ essential role in the economy and that it was a recent reminder of enduring job security.
Schawbel said AI’s value lies in freeing teams to focus on human connection, while MacPhail added that workers need reassurance that it enhances roles, enabling people to be more hospitable to guests.
What you can do now: Hold a team meeting to explain that AI is there to help and to create more time for guest interaction.
Recruit AI champions
“Winning over experienced staff can help win over everyone,” said Schawbel.
He advised identifying AI champions within a business, particularly those who are respected, long-tenured team members, and equipping them with messaging about what the technology can and cannot do. Their endorsement can increase adoption, reduce fear and build trust.
In newer businesses without longstanding staff, operators should identify early adopters – those employees who are already using AI in their personal or professional lives. With a quarter of workers personally engaging with AI, they can act as advocates to drive wider adoption.
What you can do now: Identify two to three respected team members (longstanding or influential) and brief them first on AI plans.
Make sure everyone is included
The speakers emphasised the importance of training for all employees. Frontline shift workers often work irregular and unsociable hours, and so can feel less informed about operational changes.
Both speakers urged operators to run multiple briefing sessions outlining AI’s practical applications and limitations and to train staff on basic data privacy and safe usage. Sessions should be scheduled to maximise access and ensure every team member receives the same tools, training and the same opportunity to ask questions.
What you can do now: Design AI training around shift realities, not office hours, so no team member feels excluded from the conversation.
Don’t buy into the hype
AI is evolving fast, said MacPhail, but the hype stems from it being “in your face daily”. Change is incremental, not instantaneous.
Likewise, Schawbel said it can feel that “everyone is pushing AI”, which can be offputting to your staff. Workers distrust AI when it feels like something that is being done to them, rather than them choosing to adopt it.
Schawbel added that leaders need to work out where AI can really be best used and where it should not. Once that has been worked out, explain the ‘why’ clearly. And be honest about AI’s limitations: “Organisations must avoid positioning AI as something to solve everyone’s problems, because it can’t and probably won’t,” he said. He added that AI cannot fix staffing shortages or workload challenges alone.
What you can do now: Explain to teams which problem it solves, what it doesn’t solve, and how it can support them.
From the sponsor
Deputy was proud to partner with The Caterer for our webinar, AI: Building Trust in the Workplace, an important conversation on how hospitality businesses can adopt AI responsibly and transparently.
Grounded in insights from our latest research, the Better Together Report, we explored how leaders can use AI to plan smarter, support their teams and build trust – ensuring technology enhances the human side of hospitality, not replaces it.
Learn more about AI at The Caterer’s People Summit
For more expert industry advice on integrating AI into your business, book your place at The Caterer’s People Summit 2026, a one-day event covering anything from ChatGPT hacks to building an invincible team.
Photo: Jacob Lund/Shutterstock
More from The Caterer
Most Popular
HRC
Mon Mar 30, 2026
ExCel London
The Caterer Supplier Awards
Thu Apr 16, 2026
The Caterer People Summit 2026
Thu May 14, 202658VE, London
The Acorn Awards 2026
Sun Jun 7, 2026
The Caterer provides trusted hospitality news, analysis and trends for restaurants, hotels and catering professionals.
Jacobs Media is a company registered in England and Wales, company number 08713328. 3rd Floor, 52 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0AU.
© 2026 Jacobs Media
