Employee Experiences Pros Optimistic About New AI Models at CONNECT
Ice-T might have been in the building, but it was artificial intelligence (AI) that felt like a celebrity guest at the 2023 Reworked CONNECT conference in Austin, Texas last week.
The topic permeated mainstage presentations, panels, breakout sessions and attendee conversations. With ChatGPT and other large language models infiltrating the digital workplace, it seems like everyone had an opinion.
But while there was acknowledgement of the many risks associated with generative AI (hallucinations, data privacy and copyright infringement, to name a few), the tone was generally optimistic. Speakers and attendees expressed excitement over its potential uses in the digital workplace, how it can best be deployed, and how to gain value while minimizing risk.
AI's Potential for Search
In a session with Interact, University Federal Credit Union intranet manager Lisa Goddard and Scott Ashen, senior consultant for digital workplace platforms and strategy at Convene Communications, discussed their perspectives on creating employee experiences people love.
Speaking with Reworked after the session, they both pointed to search and findability as a key function that AI could supercharge.
According to Goddard, her company is currently looking to educate themselves both on AI and where their intranet users may get the most benefit from it.
"It's probably about usability and how to attack those pain points people are having with our intranet, which is basically search," Goddard said. "That's going to be our focus."
Ashen echoed this sentiment, noting that AI can both present better, more relevant results and get in front of the user by providing them with other relevant information, such as people they may want to contact or content from their colleagues they may want to access.
"Finding people and content is one of the real strong powers of the digital workplace, and AI will explode that capability," Ashen said, adding that many of his clients are seriously exploring AI use even if they haven't deployed it yet.
Related Article: Reworked Recap: 3 Big Things We Learned at CONNECT 2023
A Focus on the Personal and the Human
AI is augmented intelligence, not artificial intelligence, according to Aaron Kim, senior director and head of digital workplace solutions at RBC.
"It lets me focus on strategy and the big stuff, like having a private personal assistant," he said during an AI-focused roundtable.
Within communications, Kim noted that while machines can put together speeches and other content, people appreciate when it's a human presenting to them because of the personal touch.
"Machines can do commoditized speeches, but they can't be genuine," he said.
Likewise, during a VIP masterclass on AI and employee experience, 2toLead CTO Richard Harbridge explained that while the use cases for AI are vast, there needs to be moderation.
"Emotional intelligence is an essential skill for an AI powered future," Harbridge said. "We need to be able to determine when to use human capabilities versus AI capabilities."
What Happens to Our Talent?
Speaking on a mainstage roundtable about HR business partner best practices, some of the panelists spoke to the effect AI might have on HR strategy and the steps organizations can and should take as a result.
Learning Opportunities
Shawnte Holland, senior HR business partner, finance at Vanguard, expressed concern over entry-level positions, and stressed the importance of ensuring new graduates still have opportunities to get into the workforce.
There's always something that's going to reshape how we work," she said. "My bigger worry is the erosion of entry level jobs, those which are manual and repeatable."
Shaelyn Otikor-Miller, SVP and head of global digital workplace strategy at Northern Trust Asset Servicing, said that increasing AI usage doesn't always have to lead to layoffs.
"I'm a big fan of skilling and reselling talent … AI doesn't create itself, someone still has to manage and code what and how it will respond," she said. "Find your partners who are digitally savvy and upskill them for that."
Related Article: How Companies Can Get Employees on Board With the New Wave of AI
Get Ahead of the Curve
A broader theme surrounding AI use was the importance of getting out ahead during this current wave of disruption. According to Reworked's 2023 State of the Digital Workplace Report, 42% of organizations already have a strategy with guidelines surrounding AI use in place, while a further 35% say they plan to implement one.
"The more that we can test things out, play with AI and have little wins with safe ways to test it out, the more comfortable we’ll be as it grows and we implement it in bigger ways,” Kristin Hancock, VP of community and engagement for ICology, told Reworked.
Harbridge had similar words for the audience during his session.
"It’s better to embrace [AI] and learn sooner. Stakes are lower today — it’s not intrinsically tied to any systems of finances, and people expect mistakes,” he explained. “It will become much more dangerous when it fails in big ways.”
Despite concerns, the air of optimism persisted in Austin.
“Some people are worried and apprehensive about what’s to come,” Hancock said. “But we’re better served by approaching [AI] with curiosity and how it can supplement what we’re doing.”
About the Author
Nidhi Madhavan is a research editor at Simpler Media Group, where she creates data-driven content and research for SMG and their clients. Nidhi received her B.A. in Journalism from Loyola University Chicago.
Connect with Nidhi Madhavan:
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