Can you remember the Matrix? We might not all be plugged in, but now both our personal and business lives are plugged on.
Whether it’s Siri, Alexa or Clever Nelly, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become our solution, a go-to or even ‘friend’ in the workplace.
The whole basis of AI is that IT mimics cognitive functions such as learning and problem solving, and – although it first initiated in the 1960s – the speed of processors today have contributed to its boom.
AI is perfect for the workplace, so what do you need to know about it?
1) Say goodbye to death by PowerPoint
One of the great plus points of tools such as Clever Nelly is that they mean no more boring meetings or days out the office to tick HRs’ ‘learning and development’ box. Instead, a culture of continuous learning is encouraged, with Nelly sending you an email twice a day with a multiple choice question. Get it wrong? No problem, she learns your weak spots and hones in with the right answer when you need it, making those neural connections in your brain by repeating the question over the coming weeks.
2) Perfect for new starters
Conventional recruitment often overwhelms new employees; there’s a lot to learn in just a few days and, quite often, they quickly forget it all. Tools such as Clever Nelly or even chatbots can be used to drip feed information to the new employee over days or weeks, so they never feel like they’re out of the loop.
3) Encourages healthy competitions between staff members
Research shows that teams are getting onboard with AI. Whether it’s promoting the department’s cognitive efforts that month, or partnering with a rewards company such as Red Letter Days, staff get rewarded for doing their job well. Personalised learning can also be a real plus point to mention when attracting staff.
4) Enhances productivity, no more multi-department staff training
AI makes HR fun. Not only does it offer better and brighter ways to train staff, learn new skills or gain new certifications, it’s also usually completely self-directed. No more booking in meetings, simply answer the questions when you have space in your diary – after all, who hasn’t got time for two multiple choice emails a day? Plus, employees who are struggling get picked up on faster and can be offered outside help or resources, not reprimands.
5) Delivers training on new company standards and law initiatives
With various standards constantly being updated, this type of learning is needed for companies that work within changing remits, such as the financial sector. With course material easily managed and updated, new information can be rolled out quickly and effectively with changes that are based on the individual needs of the learner. This means you don’t have to attend workshops on areas you already know about – now your knowledge bank will be on record, and only updated when new changes are identified.
6) Rapid inputting of new information
Say you work for a law firm, examining the hundreds of title deeds for a city-centre development could take hours. But AI could scan and organise this for you in minutes, allowing you to do something ultimately more productive in the meantime.
7) Fraud
Fraud is a huge risk factor for anyone working in the financial sectors or law offices. Now you can get AI to screen for signs of fraudulent behaviour. Whether it’s personal injury damages or counterfeit notes, the system can map connections between the different factors, individually scoring the likelihood of how false a claim is. This can save huge amounts of time, especially when personally liable.
8) Measuring big data
Revolutionary machines, capable of performing deep-content analysis and evidence-based reasoning to accelerate and improve decisions, are now commonplace for companies – providing they invest in computer hubs and the right sort of processing power. For example, a bank could use an AI system to make better recommendations of financial products based on comprehensive analysis of market conditions, the client’s past decisions, recent life events and available offerings. This allows you to make a more personal connection, thereby ensuring a great client relationship and leaving the smaller details to AI.
9) No more complaining!
If you work in customer service, then chances are you have been at the other end of an irate phone call. But with more customers interacting with chatbots, a complaints process can be short cut from information gathered to action taken. And although chatbots are still lacking the personal touch, tools such as DigitalGenius are already being used to conduct human-like text conversations with customers.
10) HR at a finger tip
And once you’ve got on board with AI in the work place, there’s the chance to make it work for you. Now you can showcase through stats and achievements just how valuable you are, which should make it easier to negotiate for a raise or better working conditions. That’s if the boss hasn’t spotted your potential already!
Ultimately, AI is an enormously positive phenomenon that strengthens organisations through personalised training, engaging employees and upping retention rates and productivity. To be sure, AI is nowhere near replacing humans, but can be used to replace some of HR’s more boring tasks. Essentially, AI can help you do your job – but better than ever before.