I’m going to say something that might make people uncomfortable.
For a lot of employees, AI is becoming a better mentor than their actual manager.
Not because their manager is bad at their job. Not because AI is smarter or more insightful. But because AI is available at the exact moment someone needs guidance… and it doesn’t have six back-to-back meetings scheduled when you’re stuck on something.
This isn’t the future. It’s happening right now.
The mentorship gap
Here’s the problem we’re trying to solve…
Good mentorship requires time, attention, and consistency. You need someone who understands your context, remembers your goals, and can guide you through challenges as they come up.
But in most growing companies, the people who would make the best mentors are also the busiest. They’re managing their own workload, running their team, fighting fires. When someone comes to them with a question or challenge, they want to help… but they’re also thinking about the three other things they need to get done today.
So mentorship becomes sporadic. You get great advice in moments when your manager has bandwidth. The rest of the time, you’re figuring things out on your own.
And here’s what nobody talks about… most people don’t even ask for help because they don’t want to be the person who’s always interrupting with questions.
Where AI actually works
AI doesn’t replace the deep, nuanced conversations you have with a great human mentor.
But it fills the gaps that exist everywhere else.
Someone’s drafting a difficult email at 11pm and they’re not sure how to frame it. They can’t text their manager at that hour. But they can ask AI to help them think through the tone and approach.
Someone’s preparing for a presentation and they want feedback on their structure. Their manager won’t have time to review it until tomorrow. AI can help them refine it right now while the ideas are fresh.
Someone’s navigating a tricky conversation with a colleague and they’re not sure how to handle it. They don’t want to escalate it to their manager yet. AI can help them think through different approaches and what might work best.
This isn’t about AI giving perfect advice. It’s about AI being there when you need to think something through… without having to wait or feel like you’re bothering someone.
The consistency advantage
One of the biggest challenges with human mentorship is inconsistency.
Your manager has good days and bad days. They’re dealing with their own stress and challenges. The advice you get on Monday might be different from what you’d get on Friday after a rough week.
AI doesn’t have that problem. It’s consistent. It remembers previous conversations. It can help you build on past discussions without you having to re-explain everything.
And here’s something interesting… people are often more honest with AI than they are with their manager.
They’ll admit they’re struggling with something. They’ll ask the “dumb” questions they’re afraid to ask out loud. They’ll explore ideas that feel half-formed without worrying about looking unprepared.
There’s no judgment. No performance review implications. Just guidance.
What this means for development
The companies that figure this out are going to have a huge advantage.
Because right now, most employee development happens in two modes. Formal training programs that happen occasionally… and informal learning that depends entirely on who you know and how comfortable you are asking for help.
AI creates a third mode. Always-on, personalized guidance that meets people exactly where they are.
It doesn’t replace human mentorship. But it makes development more democratic. The person who’s naturally outgoing and comfortable seeking feedback doesn’t have an unfair advantage anymore. Everyone gets access to consistent guidance.
And the really interesting part… AI can be trained on your company’s specific knowledge, values, and approaches. So the guidance people get isn’t generic advice from the internet. It’s rooted in how your organization actually thinks and operates.
The uncomfortable truth
Here’s what makes people nervous about this…
If AI can provide better day-to-day guidance than most managers currently offer… what does that say about the quality of mentorship people are getting today?
The answer is that we’ve been expecting managers to do something that’s nearly impossible at scale. Be available, insightful, and consistent for everyone who needs guidance… while also doing their actual job.
AI doesn’t make managers obsolete. It makes them more effective by handling the constant stream of smaller questions and challenges. So when someone does need human mentorship… for the complex, nuanced situations that really require personal insight… their manager has the bandwidth to provide it.
That’s not AI replacing people. That’s AI making it possible for people to focus on what they’re actually best at.
The future of mentorship isn’t human or AI. It’s both working together to make sure no one gets stuck waiting for guidance they need right now.