Francesco Carta fotografo/Getty Images
The traditional way companies think about regulatory penalties is almost entirely financial. Analysts model the balance-sheet impact. Legal teams assess appeal options. Communications drafts a statement. The penalty gets absorbed, the stock recovers, and the organization moves on. The implicit assumption is that the workforce will do the same.
Illustration by Nathan St. John
Marcus had been building the case for six months. The proposed regional expansion made strategic sense, the market data supported it, and leadership had given the green light. He called the team together and laid out the plan. Two days later, an anonymous email arrived with a forwarded document and no explanation. Three pages. Someone had asked an AI tool to make the strongest case for the expansion and the strongest case against it.