How AI is reshaping mentoring and informal workplace culture

AI adoption is blurring traditional role boundaries at work, but interviews with 24 product professionals at a large tech firm uncovered a less visible cost: erosion of informal mentoring, feedback networks, and casual collaboration that fuel career growth. Some shifts are positive (smoother peer collaboration), but others risk isolating employees from the relationships that help them settle in, stay engaged, and advance. The paper proposes concrete steps for leadership to make these informal practices visible again and preserve healthy cultures during AI transformation.