AI and the workplace: how can we make the most of it?

 

Alastair Brown is Chief Technology Officer at HR company BrightHR. He will be taking part in a webinar for workingmums.co.uk’s Careers Week next week on the subject of AI and the workplace. Here is a preview of some of the areas covered.

WMs: GenAI has made a big impact on the workplace, and that is likely to increase as new iterations come along. Do you think employers are making the most of it?

Alastair Brown: While generative AI has immense potential, many employers are hesitant to embrace it. According to a recent Peninsula Group global survey of 79,000 businesses across Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the UK, only one in 10 SMEs say they are regularly using AI in the workplace. So, it’s clear that, at present, many employers see AI as a threat rather than as a tool that can support their growth. Those surveyed by the Peninsula Group cited security risks as their biggest concern around AI (47%), up 30% from this time last year, with loss of intellectual property and risk of breaking the law also featuring highly.

In many ways, these concerns are understandable. Although AI is advancing rapidly, both in terms of its capabilities and its implementation globally, there is still a massive gap where regulation is concerned. Outside of the EU, where the EU Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act was recently introduced, very few countries have legislation that sets specific guidelines on the use of AI, which could be why so many businesses are hesitant to adopt it.

That being said, genAI has incredible potential, not only to help businesses increase productivity and boost growth, but also to significantly improve the scope and quality of the services they provide. Instead of shying away from it, employers should seek to adopt genAI purposefully – in other words, by implementing it in ways that offer them the most benefit while minimising risk. By conducting a cost-benefit analysis to decide how genAI should be used in their workplace, and then putting a clear policy in place, employers can harness the opportunities it provides whilst mitigating any potential risks.

WMs: Should employers train people in how to use it better?

AB: If a business conducts a cost-benefit analysis and determines that implementing AI is right for them, then yes, its employees will need to be trained in how to use it successfully and in accordance with company guidelines.

By providing training, employers can help staff understand not only how to use genAI tools effectively, but also safely and securely. This is best practice whenever there are significant developments impacting the workplace, especially where risks and concerns are identified.

AI training is also just a great way for businesses to show that they are staying ahead of the curve and embracing AI in a positive and purposeful way. The use of genAI among staff is arguably something of a foregone conclusion, with research showing that 80% of ‘knowledge workers’ now use it in their roles, and many employees in the UK actually paying for it out of their own pockets.

If employees are using genAI anyway, they may as well be trained in how to do so effectively and securely. By openly outlining their stance on AI and training staff on how to use it better, employers can reduce the risks and help tackle the stigma that surrounds it.

WMs: There’s a lot of fear about AI taking people’s jobs. What’s your view on that? Which jobs are most at risk or do we all need to adapt?

AB: In my view, the conversation around AI and the future of work so far has been far too fearful. Ultimately, AI is just another technological leap that workplaces – and society at large – will adapt to over time. Yes, there are some jobs that will eventually be made obsolete by AI, for example, roles focused on simplistic data analysis or data entry, basic financial reporting, and repetitive administrative tasks.

Beyond these and other more repetitive tasks that are highly susceptible to being automated, however, AI is unlikely to replace workers outright, particularly in industries that rely on human expertise – which is most of them. It is very difficult at the moment, for example, to see how AI could carry out jobs that require human characteristics like empathy and critical thinking. AI tools are also not legally bound to ‘tell the truth’, and may provide outputs that are factually inaccurate, biased or misleading.

These clear limitations are why, at least for the foreseeable future, AI is more likely to augment human roles than replace them. Already we’re seeing people use AI, not to do their jobs for them, but to support them with administrative or routine tasks so they can focus on more complex issues or longer-term projects. This is a great example of how AI can be used purposefully, alongside human workers, to increase efficiency as part of an augmented intelligence economy.

Similarly, at BrightHR, we use a combination of AI and human expertise to help tailor the advisory services we offer to our customers, for example, through our Brainbox tool. The content that is used to provide the answers in Brainbox comes from our legal and HR specialists and is backed by over 50 years of employment law expertise. We use AI and machine learning, however, to quickly categorise and understand the types of questions people are asking so we can signpost them to the expert resources they need.

In most industries, it is this combination of AI and human expertise that will be most successful in helping businesses improve and expand their services without compromising on quality, so, no, I don’t think there is a ‘jobs apocalypse’ coming any time soon!

WMs: Currently, people are using it – often secretly – to save time at work. What can they do to understand better how it would help them, given they know better than anyone the kind of tasks they undertake regularly?

AB: Employers should firstly consider what their stance on AI is. Are they happy for their staff to use it? Or do they want to prohibit it completely? Either stance is fine, but employers should be prepared to explain what it is and why.

According to research, only around 44% of companies have AI and data governance policies in place, meaning most employees have not received clear guidance from their employers about how they should or should not be using genAI at work.

In my view, this lack of clarity is what makes employees feel like they have to use genAI in secret. It is in businesses’ best interests to create an open dialogue around AI in the workplace and seek to gather their employees’ thoughts on how AI can be used most effectively, and then use this information to feed into the creation of a policy on the use of AI in the workplace. From there, employees can begin to participate in training sessions and experiment with AI in a supervised environment, so that all levels of the business can begin to understand and quantify its benefits.

WMs: What are the risks that they – and employers- should be alert to?

AB: There are risks to using AI, especially if staff are using AI in ways that employers may not be aware of and that might be putting the business at risk. The first major risk is bias and inaccuracy. AI systems can often reflect biases in their training data, and this leads to unfair outcomes. Look no further than Amazon in 2015, which discovered its AI recruiting tool discriminated heavily against women as it was trained on mainly male CVs for its technical roles. AI can also present factually incorrect data as if it is fact. If AI is being used to produce client-facing communications, this could lead to inaccurate or biased information being put out in the company’s name. Those not exercising caution could easily fall victim, and even participate in the spread of misinformation.

Security risks are also a concern, as AI systems can be targets for cyber-attacks. The Peninsula Group global survey found that almost half of SMEs are concerned about the security risks posed by AI. These risks are why, at BrightHR, we define our position on AI as one of purposeful adoption, aiming to be positive and proactive about AI while considering the risks at every stage and taking all steps to mitigate them. By staying aware of the risks and taking proactive steps – for example, by outlining clear guidelines on how genAI should be used by staff and the types of information that staff can and can’t share with genAI tools, businesses can harness the potential of AI responsibly and effectively.

WMs: Can you give some examples of how genAI could benefit people?

AB: I think we’ve all seen the most common applications of generative AI, so I’d love to share some of my favourite lesser-known applications of it. AI has been begun to be applied in healthcare, which is helping doctors chart disease progression before it happens, augment medical images and even research new life-saving medicine. This application is quite literally going to save lives. In software development, genAI can create, optimise, and auto-complete code, which is often a gamechanger for those in an industry plagued by tiny errors in input that can hold up entire development cycles.

And finally, AI tools have improved accessibility in many fields. For example, there are now apps that can instantly convert images into text, helping visually impaired individuals identify and interpret images. This is a really positive step for narrowing the accessibility gap and helping individuals with visual impairments access work and become more independent.

WMs: What about jobseekers? Are we going to end up with bots talking to bots if people use genAI to write their applications and these go through Applicant Tracking Systems. Could that make things more difficult for employers because the CVS may start to look very similar in terms of use of keywords and so forth?

AB: A report from the Institute of Student Employers (ISE) found that only 17% of respondents found AI to be a cost-effective alternative to traditional hiring methods, and that only 8% believed it enhanced the likelihood of finding the best candidate for the job.

So, although genAI can streamline the job application process and help jobseekers craft their applications, it is unlikely to lead to “bots talking to bots”. Ultimately, employers will want to start focusing more on the human element of the application process, for example, by prioritising interviews and practical assessments to gauge a candidate’s skills and true suitability for a role.

WMs: Our surveys show a lot of anxiety among particularly older jobseekers about the impact of genAI in the job search area, especially when it comes to career gaps. Does there still need to be a human element?

AB: I would argue that there always needs to be a human element in the hiring process, no matter how advanced AI tools become. That’s because the vast majority of our working lives revolve around people, whether that’s building relationships with clients or colleagues, participating in team meetings and contributing ideas to a group, or simply working effectively with others.

Without meeting a candidate in person and giving them a chance to explain their experience, skills, and CV on their own terms, employers might be shooting themselves in the foot by overlooking candidates that may not “look as good” on paper, but in real life demonstrate a clear aptitude for the role and an ability to quickly build a rapport with others in their team. AI can process data and predict trends, but it lacks human traits that are central to the recruitment process, including critical thinking and empathy, which are vital for understanding the context behind individual applicants and any career gaps they may have.

WMs: Are there things other than application writing that genAI could be useful for in job search?

AB: Of course. GenAI is useful for far more beyond application writing. It can analyse your skills and experiences to suggest job roles that might be a good fit for you, as well as train you on potential interview questions and advise on the sorts of responses that would best showcase your abilities. It can even help you optimise your LinkedIn profile and generate creative examples of a CV layout. The applications of genAI for jobseekers are endless, and only expanding in scope.

WMs: Are you hopeful that genAI will be a positive for HR?

AB: I’m definitely hopeful that AI will be a force for good in HR. The Peninsula Group global survey found that one in five small businesses who use AI have found that it has had a positive impact in their organisation. I think as more people begin to understand and utilise AI effectively, this number will only increase. It has the potential to revolutionise HR processes by enhancing efficiency and providing deeper insights into employee data. In plain English, we’re talking about handling repetitive tasks like sorting CVs,
understanding trends in data better and ultimately making HR more efficient and insightful. Having said that, when it comes to HR, I don’t think we’re ever going to see human involvement disappear completely – nor would we want to.

*The webinar will go live on Thursday 19th September. Click here for more details.

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