Microsoft’s recent launch of Co-Pilot, an AI-powered tool designed to assist software developers, highlights the transformative potential of AI in the workplace. Co-Pilot is an AI assistant that can help you create a presentation using a mere press release, analyze large amounts of data in your Excel sheet to draw out insights and write an entire book in the matter of months. This type of AI technology not only increases productivity but also frees up employee’s time to focus on more creative and strategic tasks. But Co-Pilot is just one example of how AI is being used to transform the workplace.

The field of artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly advanced over the past decade, with the development of increasingly sophisticated technologies such as natural language processing, machine learning, and neural networks. The most recent advancement, the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4, is a prime example of the potential that AI has to revolutionize the way we work. While the implications of this development are vast, it’s important to understand that the future of work will be shaped not just by ChatGPT-4, but by the broader evolution of AI.

Here are four key points to consider:

1. Future-proofing the workforce

AI technology will continue to automate routine and repetitive tasks, leading to the elimination of some jobs while creating new opportunities in areas such as data analysis and machine learning. It’s critical to take action today to identify the skills that we need from employees five years from now. HR leaders must partner with business leaders to identify emerging trends and skill gaps, and develop a plan to upskill and reskill employees to stay ahead of the curve. As we identify necessary skills, there is an imperative for HR strategy to focus on potential talent sources (high schools, universities) or upskilling opportunities (STEM bootcamps, microlearning) immediately.

2. Impact on HR functions

AI technology will continue to change the way we work and the way HR functions. For example, AI-powered systems could potentially pull up T4s and ROEs immediately, or specific team member performance ratings over the past 3 years. What if there was a reality where I could ask a voice-assistant to tell me about the amount of vacation used across specific teams this past year or to tell me our trailing 3-month employee churn rate – in the matter of seconds? HR leaders, consider how you add value by leveraging AI to make data-driven decisions and provide insights that drive business outcomes.

3. Impact on productivity

AI technology will enable workers to become more productive, but it may also create a tendency towards complacency and a decrease in quality. HR leaders must be aware of the potential impact of AI on the workforce and develop guardrails to ensure that productivity gains are balanced with quality and attention to detail. Guardrails are also required to balance the need for flexibility with the need to ensure that employees are productive, engaged, and connected to the company’s culture.

4. Complementary nature of human and machine intelligence

Post-ChatGPT4, the future of work will involve humans seamlessly incorporating AI on a daily basis. HR leaders must develop new approaches to managing the workforce that recognize the complementary nature of human and machine intelligence, directing both teams and AI co-pilots to execute on work. HR leaders must ensure that AI is used in a way that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion, and that the benefits of AI are distributed fairly across the workforce.

Addressing algorithmic bias

HR leaders must be aware of the potential for AI algorithms to replicate and even amplify existing biases in hiring, performance evaluation, and other HR processes. HR leaders must work to ensure that AI is used in a way that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion, and that the benefits of AI are distributed fairly across the workforce. This includes reviewing and testing AI algorithms for bias, creating diverse data sets to train AI models, and involving underrepresented groups in the development and deployment of AI solutions.

Example 1: Bias in Hiring: An AI-based recruitment tool that analyzed resumes of past successful hires was found to have a gender bias. The tool would eliminate female applicants because the past resumes it analyzed were mostly from men. This highlights the importance of ensuring that AI algorithms are trained on diverse and unbiased data sets.

Solution: To address this bias, HR leaders can use machine learning algorithms to analyze the hiring process for potential biases. They can also create diverse data sets to train AI models, and involve underrepresented groups in the development and deployment of AI solutions.

Example 2: Bias in Performance Evaluation: An AI-powered performance evaluation tool was found to have a racial bias. The tool used language analysis to assess employee performance but did not account for cultural or linguistic differences, leading to lower ratings for non-native English speakers.

Solution: HR leaders can address this bias by reviewing and testing AI algorithms for bias, including diversity and cultural experts in the design and testing process, and using natural language processing to detect and eliminate language bias. This can be addressed by introducing…

– Fairness Metrics (measures of the degree to which an AI system treats different groups fairly). For example, HR leaders can use demographic parity or equal opportunity metrics to ensure that AI is not adversely impacting certain groups.

– Bias Detection Tools: There are several open-source tools, such as IBM’s AI Fairness 360 and Google’s What-If Tool, that can help detect and mitigate biases in AI algorithms.

– Human Review: Finally, HR leaders can involve diversity and cultural experts to review and audit AI algorithms to ensure that they are not biased towards certain groups.

With the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4, the pace of AI innovation is accelerating. The launch of Microsoft’s Co-Pilot is just the beginning of what’s to come and HR leaders must recognize the transformative power of AI and develop a plan to incorporate it into their daily work. This means future-proofing the workforce, leveraging AI to add value to HR functions, establishing guardrails for new forms of work, and embracing the urgency of incorporating AI.

The time to act is now.

If you haven’t incorporated artificial intelligence in your daily work, are you behind?

Jay Kiew, the citizencentric strategist, is a world-renowned keynote speaker and management consultant. With over a decade of experience at Deloitte, TELUS, and ADP, Jay has advised 400+ leaders on designing, developing and delivering organizational transformations. He will be speaking at the upcoming HR Conference & Expo, May 2-3 in Vancouver and May 11-12 virtually.  Jay hosts a leadership podcast, Progress, not Perfection, and has been featured in the Financial Times, Globe and Mail, Financial Post and more. Jay holds an MBA from the Ivey Business School and lives on the West Coast with his wife, daughter and a stubborn Shiba Inu named Brooklyn. Learn more at www.citizencentric.ca

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