How much AI is enough AI at work?
Here’s an interesting post that caught my eye earlier this week.
Lattice, a company focusing on people and performance management, is planning something new: performance management for AI workers, AKA digital workers. In the words of the CEO, “It takes the idea of an “AI employee” from concept to reality — and marks the start of a new journey for Lattice, to lead organizations forward in the responsible hiring of digital workers.” This announcement was met with responses across the spectrum, with much of them being critical.
While the company agrees that much remains to be figured out regarding the AI workers and their place in the organization, the community’s opinion was clear: this isn’t right. Eventually, the comments on the post had to be turned off.
Earlier this week, I had a conversation that reflected a similar sentiment about using AI at work. “I am not comfortable with AI around us.” The idea is fair. But is it also putting your team behind others?
Consider these stats from a recent Forbes article:
- Almost all (97%) business owners believe ChatGPT will help their business.
- One in three businesses plan to use ChatGPT to write website content, while 44% plan to use ChatGPT to write content in other languages.
- Nearly half (46%) of business owners use AI to craft internal communications.
- Over 40% are concerned about an over-dependence on technology due to AI use.
- Nearly two-thirds(64%) of business owners believe AI will improve customer relationships.
Now look at the second last point. As one of the founders and builders, I find the AI space exciting and bubbling. Yet here’s an uncomfortable truth: AI is inducing anxiety in many people. And it’s not a simple, straight, uniform reaction. For some people, AI directly threatens job loss, so think of profiles like those of writers and designers. The first bunch is losing jobs to generative tools that do not match up, and the second felt very threatened by the recent updates on Figma that aimed to “democratize” designing. (Everything in this post is human-made and designed, though.)
Beyond job loss lies another factor. Managers think, are my employees even working? Or are they just copying stuff from AI? It also points to a loss of trust and value in the work being done by human workers.
So, is there a fine line between using AI and relying on AI? It seems so. Many applications of AI in workplaces are coming up. Chatbots for employee services are just step one. There’s a lot more action happening behind the screens. Think AI-based screening of candidates before hiring, tinkering with corporate learning plans to make them more robust, and much more.
Our agenda at Risely is also something similar. We are rethinking leadership development outside seminar halls and in front of experts. The new generation of leadership development initiatives delivers learning in the flow of work daily and at every point of need. Instead of the HR departments picking and choosing issues, it’s data-informed and user-focused. And that’s just one way AI is penetrating workplaces! While super-fast movements like those from Lattice can generate reactions, there are subtle movements forward.
