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We use AI every day to automate and assist with a variety of tasks – so why are we treating it the way dinosaurs think of ice? Much like a microwave or kettle, it’s here to save time and make life simpler.
That artificial intelligence (AI) technology is developing at pace is something of an understatement. Text-to-speech technology and chatbots have come on in leaps and bounds in recent years, with the case for mass adoption becoming increasingly clear as automation, machine learning and all the wonderful uses of AI go from strength-to-strength.
As of January this year, 45% of work activities for office workers are or can be automated, according to Gitnux’s study into AI and job replacement – that’s not to say that we need fewer people in roles, but that those people’s jobs are made easier 45% of the time via automation. Every time you ask your mail server to search for specific emails or use a search engine, you’re benefitting from AI. Most of us know this and are comfortable with it, leaving mundane tasks to non-sentient machines while we crack on with the human side of things such as creativity and strategy.
But in recent months, it has been OpenAI’s user-friendly ChatGPT that finally convinced a critical mass of people as to just how impressive AI can be – and how potentially frightening.
One way in which it is helpful to envisage AI is like a very impressive, hyper-competent junior employee.
The way that most organisations use AI is fairly straightforward.
However, there are other applications of the technology, especially around HR and people management, where the lines are blurred and integration with existing policies and processes could feel potentially perilous – for example, Uber’s use of automation in HR to literally fire drivers if they take the wrong route, which ended up costing them in a recent tribunal.
How HR teams can respond to implementing AI therefore varies greatly. Thankfully, the UK government has now issued a whitepaper which will hopefully provide some clarity about best use case for AI. The purpose of the paper, according to the government’s site, is “to drive responsible innovation and maintain public trust in this revolutionary technology.” Please see the link at the end of this piece if you’d like to peruse it.
HR Grapevine spoke to Harry Stovin-Bradford, Head of BCW Navigate, a global artificial intelligence advisory service, which offers guidance and process management to firms seeking to incorporate AI without losing the human touch.
