Among the many trends that are rapidly redefining work, perhaps the most consequential for HR is the arrival of artificial intelligence (AI). But this points to a related issue: How can organizations help employees successfully transition to an AI-infused work environment?
Although AI has tremendous potential for improving all kinds of work processes and functions, success isn’t guaranteed. Like all powerful technologies, haphazard implementation causes frustration and adoption roadblocks. In particular, if AI isn’t thoughtfully integrated with workflows, employees are likely to feel saddled with tools that are confusing and difficult to navigate. They may conclude that AI solutions don’t fit their needs. Even worse, a weak approach can even cause trouble with customers or regulators.
To determine where most organizations stand with AI adoption, our firm surveyed 500 US-based business owners, C-suite executives and senior leaders to gauge their opinions on corporate AI adoption. Responses indicate that before the end of this year, 65% of companies expect to have AI-powered services in place. But are these organizations fully prepared? Here’s what our data suggests…
Awareness vs. Action: The Gap is Striking
In the face of widespread AI adoption, it was comforting to find that a majority of respondents — 73% overall and 86% for those who have already implemented AI — say that they recognize the importance of well-defined guidelines for its responsible use.
Less comforting is that only 6% of respondents say their companies have established clear guidelines for the ethical use of AI. Furthermore, knowledge of existing policies appears to be lacking. At companies currently using AI, only 1 in 5 leaders told us they have little or no knowledge of their organization’s AI-related policies.
This gap between the stated importance of AI adoption versus leadership involvement is telling. Ultimately, it can create obstacles that sidetrack efforts to integrate AI with human talent. Here are several reasons why:
- Security Concerns
Lack of proper employee understanding, combined with the absence of proper governance-related policies can increase the risk of data breaches and other cybersecurity issues that could ultimately create high-threat situations. Alarmingly, 22% of respondents whose organizations already rely on AI told us they’re either somewhat or highly unfamiliar with security measures provided by their AI vendors and platforms.
- Regulatory Issues
Lack of attention to regulations could result in noncompliance, leading to significant fines and reputational damage.
Rules of Engagement Matter in AI Adoption
Comprehensive governance policies and procedures are critical for any organization that wants to benefit from AI. Survey respondents largely agree with this point of view, with 73% saying it’s either very important (49%) or important (24%) to establish clear guidelines for ethical AI use.
Despite this sentiment, only one-third of those who intend to adopt AI this year have specific plans to implement guidelines for ethical and responsible AI use. And only 5% say they already have guidelines in place.
However, with new AI regulations on the horizon, a lack of policies and procedures can leave companies highly vulnerable. For instance, the recently approved European Union AI Act says companies will be fined up to 7% of total worldwide annual revenue for non-compliance.
That’s a steep price to pay for inaction. But employers can avoid these costly consequences with some thoughtful planning.
A Forward-Thinking Approach for Workplace AI Adoption
Clearly, a lack of usage guidelines isn’t a recipe for successful organizational integration. Companies that fall behind will struggle to achieve desired benefits. In fact, they may even find that without guardrails, AI becomes detrimental. But on a positive note, our study suggests that forward-thinking companies may have a leg up on the competition if they get an early start.
As your company plans for organization-wide integration, consider these tips:
1. Put Guidelines in Place Now
Don’t wait until you adopt AI-based tools to create comprehensive guidelines. Think through all the challenges you may encounter in advance, so you can avoid unnecessary risk. Create a checklist of critical safeguards, transparency guidelines, and security requirements for AI vendors. This can guide your evaluation of new tools, as well as their implementation and deployment.
2. Stay Informed on Existing and Potential AI Regulation
As Dr. Chad Edwards of Western Michigan University says, with the emergence of generative AI, artificial intelligence solutions are evolving at an unprecedented rate. This means associated regulations will move forward rapidly, as well.
To stay ahead of the curve, keep a close eye on emerging rules from local and national governing bodies in all markets where you operate. Also consider integrating AI regulation briefings into ongoing executive meetings, to help keep your strategy aligned as regulations evolve.
Make Sure AI Works for You, Not the Other Way Around
Technology can elevate business performance. But too often, organizations pick a solution and then build a strategy around whatever that solution can and can’t do. When this happens with AI, it actually becomes limiting rather than empowering.
For instance, consider popular AI-based tools like ChatGPT. 7% of the organizations we surveyed are thinking of banning this tool. Although outright bans may be unnecessary for most organizations. However, it’s important to keep in mind the harm that generic tools like ChatGPT are not designed to support your company’s unique needs.
Although AI tools like this may promise some productivity gains, they’re unlikely to elevate workforce performance significantly unless they’re tailored to employees’ specific work objectives and use cases. Whether you build a custom AI tool or integrate tools from vendors (the most common scenario), follow these best practices:
1. Train the AI on Data Specific to Your Business
Just as your employees should bring domain expertise to their roles, your AI models should focus on your organization’s expertise and the industries you serve. Be sure your AI tools learn from your internal data, rather than only publicly available data.
2. Provide Automated Oversight
One of the chief advantages of AI systems is their ability to scale. This makes it possible to interact with many more users and customers much more quickly and efficiently than humans can manage directly. However, it also means that the task of overseeing all these interactions is equally massive and beyond human ability. When thoughtfully implemented, automated governance can reduce the risk of rogue interactions.
3. Also Ensure Human Oversight
Although automated oversight is absolutely necessary, it can’t guarantee that AI is operating as intended. When AI models are acting up, they often produce nuanced clues that only humans are able to detect. For example, researchers at MIT recently found that AI tends to be overly rigid in interpreting social media posts. So think carefully about when, where, and how human oversight can provide vital checks and balances in your AI-driven processes.
A Final Word on Successful AI Adoption
Just as training and performance evaluations aren’t one-and-done events for your employees, they shouldn’t be for AI tools, either. For best results, evaluate your AI vendors continuously to ensure they’re evolving to address changes in technology, your business, and regulations.
Train your AI tools on your organization’s data and use case scenarios, and with policies that govern vendor use of that data. And to audit AI solution accuracy and effectiveness, be sure to invest in integrating automated oversight in your AI-driven processes, along with quality assurance methods based on human judgment.
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