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Has an employee told you that they feel like they’re ‘cheating’ when they use generativeAI tools like ChatGPT & Midjourney? Or has management given employees the green light to embrace generativeAI?
Regardless of your organisation's stance, it’s no secret that Australian businesses have been slow to adopt generativeAI (genAI). Pundits point to a variety of reasons for the hesitancy to adopt genAI such as concerns over cybersecurity, regulatory lag and a lack of skilled talent hitting our shores. The same can’t be said for employees who have warmly embraced genAI as it stands to help them think, learn, solve, create and let’s be honest—the more we use it the more we trust it!
If your organistaion is in denial about how employees feel about genAI, Canva recently published some findings that are worth noting at your next meeting:
- 60% of employees agree that genAI would make them more productive.
- 26% lie or sometimes exaggerate their knowledge to “keep up with colleagues.”
- 72% of professionals said they were familiar with genAI but when questioned only 51% could explain with it is.
These findings are both terrifying and somewhat depressing. And it’s worthwhile you conduct a survey of your own to see how your workforce feels about genAI. But whatever stance your organisation has on genAI—it’s here to stay. Which is why it's important you understand how to manage its use and ensure employees feel comfortable knowing when they and can and can’t use genAI, and why.
What is genAI?
GenAI is the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create and build things from scratch. It takes pre-existing information and builds content, documents, speeches and distills information. So, if you’ve heard about ChatGPT, chances are you’ve tried it. It’s the most popular genAI tool and is widely used for a variety of tasks like doucment creation, customer service or a quick and easy ‘how to’ tool.
The second most popular tool is DALL·E 3 which is used to generate digital images from prompts. Organisations use it to create images for marketing, product design, and content creation. It streamlines the creative process and prototypes ideas at lightning speed. For further insight into the impact of genAI on job roles and skill sets, take a look at our article titled Generative AI: Caught in a Rip.
If management is already on board with genAI at your organisation, scroll on! But if management hasn’t brought up the use of genAI just yet, it’s your responsibility to bring it to their attention.
Get the ball rolling
The point of addressing the ‘AI elephant in the room’ is it ensure your organisation establishes clear lines of accountability for decisions and content created by genAI. You can then start to ask employees what genAI tools they’re using or want to use, and if you haven’t already, jump online and use the platform to understand how they work. Do you think they have limitations?
Here are some questions you can bring to your next meeting to get the ball rolling:
- What tasks do you want genAI to assist employees with?
- Will employees pay for the platform or will we split the costs?
- Do you think we should engage a consultant to review and implement AI policy?
It’s HR’s role to define the purpose of using the genAI tools. So start with the obvious. Make it clear why you’re integrating genAI. Depending on the size of your organisation, this could be to improve productivity, enhance creativity, or automate routine tasks. Next, set out the scope of which genAI platforms are being used and the context they will be used.
Depending on if you’re a B2C or B2B business, it’s important to be aware that clients and customers are becoming increasingly aware of when something has been written or prepared with the help of genAI.
Ultimately, you need to keep employees at the heart of this consultation process as they’re the ones who will be using the platforms. You might need to engage an AI consultant to help understand how to integrate depending on the size of your organisation. Once the ball is rolling with management, it’s time to get people moving. Think by doing as Aristotle once said!
Get up to speed
Now we’re at the fun part. So how do you actually get employees going? Here are a few actionable ideas you can think about to get the integration ball moving.
Cheat Sheet
Cheat sheets summarise commands, shortcuts, or methods to achieve specific results with genAI tools like ChatGPT. These are handy for employees to keep at their desks or to bookmark on their computers.
Resource Libraries
Build a digital library where all genAI related resources are stored and include how-to documents, cheat codes, video tutorials and case studies.
Curated External Resources
In addition to your resource library, curate a list of recommended readings, youtube how-to’s, free online courses, podcasts and anything else that you think will provide learning opportunities for employees.
E-Learning
Use e-learning platforms that offer interactive courses on genAI, including simulations in sandbox environments where employees can experiment with platforms. This is particularly useful if you manage a large workforce and haven’t opted to engage a consultant.
Workshops
Conduct regular workshops led by experts in genAI. These sessions can provide a deeper dive into specific tools or use cases relevant to your industry. Live demos offer an immediate glimpse into how genAI works, with the opportunity for Q&A.
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