What Happens When AI Removes Friction from Work | Aaron Horwath

6 snips

Jan 13, 2026

In this engaging discussion, Aaron Horwath, Director of AI Operations at Creative Force, shares insights from his transformative work in AI-driven design. He emphasizes how prioritizing people over tools leads to successful AI adoption. Topics include the innovative approach of treating work as a product, using bubble charts to identify and eliminate drudgery, and empowering non-technical teams to generate real software. Aaron also highlights the importance of soft skills in an AI-enhanced future and fosters a culture of risk-taking and creativity.

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ADVICE

Start With People Not Tools

Start AI adoption by mapping work and identifying tasks people dislike before choosing tools.
Use the bubble chart and one-on-one reflections to find high-value, low-enjoyment tasks to target with AI.

INSIGHT

Bots As An Always-On Operating Layer

AI teams of specialized bots can process data overnight and surface actions for humans to approve.
This raises the performance floor and lets humans focus on judgment and human-to-human work.

INSIGHT

AI Condenses The Relay Race Of Work

Non-technical employees are gaining broad technical skills via AI, compressing traditional handoffs.
Shorter relay races let organizations innovate and execute far faster than before.

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While leading L&D at Creative Force, Aaron Horwath and his leaders began treating work as a product to be designed. That shift had wide effects, including something unexpected. Creative Force became one of the few companies to implement AI in a way that actually improved the experience of work. Instead of chasing tools, Aaron and his team started with people. In this episode, Dart and Aaron discuss why starting with people led to AI success, how work can be designed as a product, and what it takes to prepare humans for a fast-approaching future.

Aaron Horwath is the Director of AI Operations at Creative Force. He helps teams redesign work by starting with people and using AI to reduce friction and improve the experience of work.

In this episode, Dart and Aaron discuss:
- Why AI should start with people, not tools
- How treating work as a product changes everything
- Finding the work that drains people and removing it
- Using the bubble chart to redesign jobs
- The difference between human work and AI work
- How non technical teams are building real software
- Why AI shortens the relay race of work
- Why soft skills matter more in an AI world
- How AI can make work more expressive
- What leaders get wrong about AI adoption
- And more…

Aaron Horwath is the Director of AI Operations at Creative Force, where he leads the company’s move toward AI augmented work. He previously led Learning and Development at the company, where he began treating work as a product and focusing on reducing friction in how people do their jobs. His work centers on starting with real business problems, understanding what work people love or hate, and using AI to remove low value tasks. Aaron takes a people first approach to AI, helping teams spend more time on meaningful, value generating work.

Resources Mentioned:
Creative Force: https://www.creativeforce.io

Connect with Aaron:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronhorwath

Work with Dart:
Dart is the CEO and co-founder of the work design firm 11fold. Build work that makes employees feel alive, connected to their work, and focused on what’s most important to the business. Book a call at 11fold.com.