A Performance Review Cartoon On Blame Culture in the AI Age.

With the help of this performance review cartoon, I want to express a simple truth about corporate life: blame culture never changes. Even with AI everywhere, we still look for something—anything—to blame when things go wrong.

This idea began with the idiom “when the chips are down.” In corporate meetings, it means things are tough. But when you place that idiom in front of a robot, the meaning shifts. The phrase becomes literal. That small twist is what sparked this cartoon.

I pictured a frustrated manager. A robot employee. A “Low Ownership” appraisal. And a punchline that connects it all:

| When the chips are down … you just blame the motherboard.

It is a simple line, but it mirrors a real habit in workplaces. We depend on tools, dashboards, and now AI systems. But when something breaks or a target slips, the first instinct is often escape—not ownership.

Responsibility starts with the person. Then it moves to the process. Then to “the system.” And finally to something completely unrelated. In this cartoon, that “something” is the motherboard.

As the creator of Kaapi with Ravi, I enjoy turning these everyday workplace moments into simple visual stories. This cartoon is inspired by real appraisal conversations, stories from friends, and patterns I’ve observed through the years.

| No matter how advanced our tools become, the instinct to deflect blame stays the same.

AI can automate tasks.It can write reports.It can manage workflows. But it may never fix the most human habit of all: blaming anything that cannot talk back.

Have you seen blame culture in action? Or witnessed strange appraisal moments? Share your story in the comments. I’d love to read it.

If you enjoy workplace humor, here are more cartoons you might like:

• Job interview cartoons

• Workplace culture cartoons

• Leadership humor