There are more deep-set, fundamental forces at play here, says Maiden. “AI, which mimics expertise and effectively closes the gap between the expert and the novice, threatens our professional identity,” he explains. “If used for idea generation, it gets increasingly fraught, as ideas are a projection of people and their values—they create emotional and social capital.” Besides that, there’s the notion that by applying AI in your work, you’re speeding up the path to making yourself, a human worker, obsolete. The hope is that the more we know about AI, the more we can see for ourselves that it’s unlikely to wipe out swathes of the workforce.
Even with my very basic applications of the tools to write this piece, AI bought me back time for productive noodling and general structural pruning. It’s clear that if I knew the extent of what’s possible, and set aside time to learn about it, I could seriously boost my productivity (and, hoorah, cut out the dull freelance admin jobs). Wider proof and affirmation that AI will boost productivity, rather than steal jobs, is the most obvious business reason to spend time easing these fears. It could take a while to persuade business leaders of its possibilities—52 percent of UK executives believe that using generative AI will increase productivity—but the proof is there. A recent study by Nielsen Norman Group found that using generative AI tools in business improves employees’ productivity by an average of 66 percent, with more complex tasks and less skilled workers seeing the biggest gains.
As all the advantages and strategies for applying AI emerge, businesses must act proactively. “Similarly to hybrid working, leaders are adopting a wait-and-see mindset. Many are fearful of moving too quickly and developing the wrong type of guidance,” Hinds says. “But in reality, employees are craving more policy and guidance around AI.” Indeed, 48 percent want more policy at an organizational level; right now only 24 percent of companies provide guidance on how to use AI in their day-to-day work, and only 13 percent of workers have received training on it.
That might be a tall order when the tech is so box-fresh, but Hinds points out that businesses can treat it as a work-in-progress, using the space to share successes, missteps, and company learning. “Employees want to trust their employers, as there’s been a lack of trust these past few years,” she explains. “If leaders can show they’re being intentional about how they’re bringing this technology into the workplace, it will minimize some of the anxiety.” Language helps. Arti Zeighani, then chief data and analytics officer at H&M Group, spearheaded the company’s reframing of “artificial intelligence” to “amplified intelligence,” because it needed to be rooted in “amplifying existing knowledge and competence of colleagues,” not simply replacing their functions.
Tech consultancy firm Hedgehog Lab, which provides custom app development and digital transformation services to global clients, runs regular town hall sessions and discussions on how they could better leverage AI internally. It also uses its #ai Slack channel to discuss AI, its wider implications, and ways it can be leveraged by everyone in the business. “The most useful application for our teams has been Midjourney, as it allows people who don’t have design skills to express the ideas in their head on paper and make them a reality,” says James Hacking, founder of the social-first marketing agency Socially Powerful. “We’ve also expressed that ChatGPT is useful for summarizing content, but limited for creative writing, because by being honest about the positives and negatives, we can help our team have a rational view about generative AI as a tool.”
Experts believe that, soon enough, the application of AI in the workplace will seem obvious, to the point of mundanity. “We’re in the age of genuine cooperation with tech, where you become an expert in something because of the tools and skills,” says Maiden. “It’s been the case in certain domains for a long time—pilots no longer grab a joystick and fly a plane—they have expertise in a complex system, which makes flying the plane safe and effective.” The more AI is integrated into workplace systems, the less of a conscience workers will have in using it. “Rather than in a separate window, like ChatGPT, AI will be part of work—it will simply be the norm, not some alien or monster in our midst.”
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
