They Trusted AI Over Me

At 2:11 Tuesday afternoon, a message popped up in the company-wide group chat.It was from Chloe Lane, an intern who had been here less than two weeks.Chloe had one defining trait.She worshipped Cookie.On her first day, she'd actually announced from her desk, "Cookie is my best friend."I was sitting at my desk working through the schedule for next month's annual staff retreat when my phone buzzed several times in a row.I opened the chat.Chloe: "@Ryan Parker, I was looking at the retreat budget. Two hundred dollars per person? For a country lodge where we're basically eating lunch and picking fruit? Isn't that kind of expensive?"I stared at the message without moving.Eight seconds later, another one appeared.Chloe: "I asked Cookie about Cloudrest Lodge. It says they can do $150 per person."There were 120 people in that group.And she'd just put Cookie up against me in front of all of them.I didn't know whether to laugh or put my head down on the desk.The chat e

At two that afternoon, Chloe began her victory lap.She posted directly in the company-wide group.Chloe: "Everyone, I looked into it. Cloudrest Lodge's public rate is $380 per person, but Cookie says it can book it for us directly at $150. That's more than half off."Leo from Sales replied immediately."Half? That's saving more than two hundred dollars per person. With over a hundred of us, that's enough money for another team event."Mia from reception wrote, "Cookie can do that? We should use it to book everything from now on."Wendy leaned toward me."That girl hasn't made a single phone call, and she's announcing it in the group like the contract is signed."I rubbed my forehead and said nothing.My phone buzzed.It was a private message from Claire Bennett, our finance director."Ryan, did you keep the comparison records from when you sourced Cloudrest?"I wrote back one word."Yes.""Send them to me."I pulled up the vendor comparison file I'd made three months ea

Greg stood beside the buses with a face like thunder.He scanned the crowd, his eyes moving over the coworkers who had already started muttering, and then he turned sharply toward me."Ryan."I stepped down slowly from the last bus.Greg hurried over and lowered his voice."You negotiated with this lodge before, right? Can you talk to them? See if they'll let us in today? We can work out the price."I looked at his face.Three days earlier, when he'd written, "Chloe takes the lead, Ryan supports her," his expression had been nothing like this.I didn't answer.I walked toward the front desk.Frank saw me and paused.His mouth moved, as though he was about to call me something else.I gave him the slightest shake of my head, and he swallowed it."Frank," I said, "do you have room for us today?"He looked at me, then past me at Greg and the hundred-plus employees behind him.He sighed."We do. The date was left open, so we never sold it."Greg's eyes lit up."Perfect. T

At four in the afternoon, the buses were getting ready to head back.Coworkers drifted out of the courtyard in twos and threes.I stood beside one of the buses, helping Wendy get her bag into the luggage compartment.Someone called my name behind me."Ryan."Dad.I turned around.He came walking from the lodge entrance in a faded dark jacket, an unlit cigarette between his fingers.Half the company stopped dead where they stood.Dad reached me and looked me up and down."You eat and run? Not even going to come say a word to me?"I didn't answer.He turned toward Greg, then glanced over the employees hauling bags toward the buses.Greg blinked, then stepped closer. "I'm sorry, you are...?""I own this place," Dad said. "Hank Parker."Greg's expression changed.Dad didn't give him time to process it."Ryan worked here for months. Waited tables. Carried plates out of the kitchen. Swept the courtyard. Whatever needed doing, he did it."He paused and looked at me."Then h

At two that afternoon, a message appeared in the company-wide group.It was from Denise Hall, our HR director.Denise: "After internal review, the company has decided to end Chloe Lane's internship effective immediately. We appreciate her contributions and wish her the best."The group went silent.Nobody said anything.Wendy leaned over and glanced at my screen, then lowered her voice. "Is Denise doing that for you?"I didn't answer.Down the aisle, Chloe came toward me carrying a cardboard box.When she reached my desk, she stopped."Ryan."I didn't look up."I'm sorry."Her voice was barely there, like she had to push it out of her throat."I didn't mean for any of it. I really thought Cookie had booked it. I didn't know the lodge was your family's."I looked up at her."Chloe.""Yeah?""Your biggest mistake wasn't using Cookie."She lifted her head. Her eyes were red."Your biggest mistake was that you'd rather believe a robot in your phone than pick up the phone