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In the US, we’re currently in the midst of an AI boom. The visibility of artificial intelligence and automation is at an all-time high, as companies such as Google and ChatGPT release incredibly powerful publicly-available chat-bot tools.
The obsession has even made its way to the big screen, with the release of the AI-fuelled horror flick M3GAN, reminding us perhaps that there’s a hard stop on where we want to take this tech.
The reality is that we’re generations away from AI-replete robots picking up our laundry, or in fact doing our jobs for us whilst we sit back and relax. Yet we’re already in the age in which AI tools can hugely enhance our current careers, and make us more efficient.
And one field in which AI is having a remarkable impact is, you guessed it, HR. 50% of HR executives agree that AI can transform HR. Nearly 67% of HR professionals believe that AI has positive impact on the recruitment process, according to Tidio data.
Further research from Research & Markets states that 85% of employers using automation or AI say it saves time or improves efficiency, whilst 66% of CEOs are confident that artificial intelligence can bring great benefit to the HR field
As a tech-savvy function, the benefits for using AI and automation to improve the HR function are clear, and relatively attainable.
AI and automation to change the roles of all workers?
But what about employees themselves? If these tools have the potential to cause a quiet revolution in HR, are they also a huge benefit to employees? The answer is undoubtedly yes, but many are being held back by a total lack of understanding.
Thirty-five percent of US employees say that their work responsibilities have changed due to AI tools, according to a new study conducted by Epignosis. As a result, 49% of employees say they need training on using AI tools like ChatGPT in order to do their job, yet only 14% reported having received such training so far.
Thanos Papangelis, an AI expert and CEO of Epignosis, believes that with a simple implementation of training, workers can reap the benefits that these tools offer. Yet many are blinded by the ‘hype and false promises’ around artificial intelligence that we have seen in the past.
“ChatGPT is the first AI technology that has truly captured people's attention and generated excitement about its potential," he says.
"It's the first practical product that has the ability to understand natural language and generate high quality human-like responses, which makes it an excellent tool for automating various tasks."
The benefits of ChatGPT, according to the data
So, let’s delve into these benefits. How are knowledgeable employees currently using tools like ChatGPT? EBN data says that 36% of employees find ChatGPT useful for writing content, 33% for analyzing data and information, 30% for customer support and 27% for brainstorming new ideas.
The benefits have been so widespread that companies including Microsoft — which has invested in ChatGPT innovator OpenAI — will use the latest version of the product, GPT-4, to automate Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Word.
It’s clear that there are huge gains to be made here. However, the first step for HR, and business leaders, is prioritising education and development. But don’t sleep on these opportunities. Papangelis believes that AI as a tool is coming to all workplaces, and so those who don’t concentrate on its benefits will lose out.
"Eventually, every software, service and human experience will take on an AI angle," he says. "It's the companies who will embrace it and prepare their teams adequately will get a huge productivity boost and remain competitive."
