“AI is here, and it’s already providing some amazing benefits for the workforce — from automating tedious tasks to answering common questions to helping crunch millions of data points in mere seconds. However, 54% of people say they have ‘no idea’ how their company is using AI, and that lack of transparency is a real problem. Organizations must be more upfront about how they’re using AI in the workplace if they want a competitive advantage and want to earn, and keep, the trust of their employees,” – Dan Schawbel, managing partner at Workplace Intelligence
If you use online maps and navigation tools to help you get places, if you listen to product or entertainment suggestions, when you’re shopping on Amazon or filling your Netflix queue, or if you allow text editors or autocorrect in your texts and/or emails, then you’re using AI-powered tools. Yet, according to a survey of 4,000 employees across 10 countries, just 44% of respondents said they used AI in their personal life, even though over 90% admitted to using at least one of the afore-mentioned AI-powered tools. (see AI At Work, conducted by UKG and Workplace Intelligence).
A similar disconnect exists on the professional front: 78% of C-suite respondents in the AI At Work survey said their organization is using AI today, but only 42% of employee respondents think they’re using AI day-to-day. Clearly, AI has arrived in the workplace, and you need to figure out how it’s going to impact your career:
Find out how your employer is using AI
If there are company town halls or internal newsletters, there might already be information shared about how your employer is using AI – e.g., what specific tools, which processes and roles are impacted. If you don’t see anything published, ask around (this is where it’s helpful to have a diverse network that includes connections outside your immediate group). In the AI in HR: Risks and Opportunities panel hosted by Jamie Klein and Inspire HR, Rafael Perez, an Inspire HR Expert and HR Business Partner, noted that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to how companies approach AI. This means, you can’t assume that your employer is using AI or not or what it is doing with it.
How is your role and/or department affected by AI? What is the timetable? How will your responsibilities and day-to-day work change as a result?
Educate yourself on AI
In order to fully appreciate what your employer is doing with AI, you need to understand more about it yourself. Two additional speakers on the AI in HR panel emphasized the important role of the individual: Amy Lui Abel, author and former Global Talent Partner with Lee Hecht Harrison, encourages individuals to learn about AI via talking to people, attending webinars and reading books (you don’t need to leave your job to advance your career!); Ian O’Keefe, HR Venture Advisor for SemperVirens Venture Capital, highlighted that AI is a co-creative technology tool, rather than something leaders impose on everyone else.
Does your employer offer training to help you understand and maximize this new technology? Are there tuition benefits for conferences, courses or other resources if you need to manage your own development in this area? What support do you need to make sure you take advantage of this powerful technology, rather than hit a career plateau?
Consider how much you want to incorporate AI into your next career move
If you’re interested in AI individually and in the way your employer is incorporating the technology, you’ll want to raise your hand for opportunities to work on AI projects. If you find that you want to do more with AI than your employer is currently doing, then looking for a role that can give you more training and hands-on experience (e.g., prompt engineer) might become an urgent priority, even if you otherwise like your job. Or, if you find that your employer is further along the AI path than you realize, and it will change your role in a way that doesn’t interest you, you might start looking for a better fit – which could be a lateral move at the same employer, just in an area less affected by AI.
Be proactive about managing AI’s impact on your career
AI-powered tools are already embedded in our day-to-day and will only become more prevalent in how things get done – and therefore what jobs entail. You don’t have to work directly on the technology to have your career be affected by AI. Be proactive and learn about AI so you can gauge for yourself how much you would like to be involved. Understand how your employer is using AI, and look for companies that align with your philosophy and interests.
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