Splice chief warns AI-written emails could erode workplace dialogue
Kakul Srivastava, CEO of Splice—the music sampling platform behind hits including Sabrina Carpenter's "Espresso"—has expressed concern that AI-generated emails are killing meaningful workplace conversation. She argues that once AI obscures the human voice behind written words, it fundamentally changes how people engage with ideas, making dialogue worse in ways that cannot be reversed. Her warning extends to music creation, where she remains sceptical of "push-button, get-song" AI tools that remove human agency from the creative process.
Srivastava, a veteran of executive roles at Flickr, Yahoo, GitHub and Adobe, values the Splice process where someone thinks through an idea thoroughly and colleagues argue constructively about it—a dynamic threatened by AI-written documents. She draws parallels between preserving authenticity in workplace communication and music creation, arguing both require genuine human thought. Despite Splice's ventures into generative AI, she positions the company's approach differently from controversial competitors, keeping creators central to the process rather than enabling fully automated solutions.
- Splice CEO warns AI emails are eroding authentic workplace conversation
- She advocates keeping humans central to both communication and music creation
- Despite using AI tools, she remains wary of solutions that remove human agency
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Kakul Srivastava is chief executive of Splice, a company that provides tools letting musicians incorporate existing recorded music into their own work, including hits like Sabrina Carpenter's "Espresso." She previously held senior executive positions at companies including Adobe, Yahoo, GitHub and Flickr.
Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to write workplace emails, with systems designed to help employees compose messages quickly. This raises questions about whether the practice might damage workplace conversation and change how colleagues exchange and debate ideas.
Srivastava's concerns reflect broader questions about where human creativity remains important as AI becomes more capable. She sees parallels between workplace communication and music creation, arguing that both require genuine human thought and effort, and suggesting that automating either through AI could erode something valuable that cannot be recovered.
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The case for
AI-written emails risk eroding the authenticity and deliberation that characterise meaningful workplace discourse. When communication is outsourced to algorithmic generation, the human effort of composing thoughts carefully—and colleagues' willingness to engage seriously with genuinely authored positions—may deteriorate in ways difficult to reverse. This concern reflects a legitimate value: that authentic dialogue, rooted in individual voice and agency, strengthens organisational culture and decision-making in ways that efficient but impersonal communication cannot replace.
The case against
AI email tools function as assistants rather than replacements, augmenting human communication for clarity, speed, and accessibility without removing human judgment. Such tools democratise written expression for non-native speakers, people with language disabilities, and those under time pressure, potentially freeing capacity for deeper face-to-face dialogue rather than undermining it. The concern assumes AI generates emails in isolation; in practice, humans draft, refine, and author final communication, preserving agency whilst gaining efficiency—much as Splice itself demonstrates AI can enhance rather than eliminate human creativity.
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Originally published by The Verge as “Splice CEO Kakul Srivastava thinks AI emails are killing conversations”.