Prepare for AI workplace disruption now

Viral Tripathi at Ascendion calls on executives across all sectors to face up to the inevitable reality of AI-driven workplace disruption and start planning for it now - or delay and flounder

Few technological inventions have caused as much hype, hyperbole, and hysteria as the emergence of AI. Since OpenAI’s ChatGPT leapt onto the scene in 2022, there has been feverish activity in the corporate world, with companies releasing ‘AI mission statements’, carving out new AI teams, and hiring AI consultants.

However, a yawning chasm is opening up between the firms that acknowledge AI’s potential for disruption of the workplace, and those firms that are proactively and constructively drawing up concrete strategies to absorb its impact. 

Many firms that have acknowledged the urgency of this issue are, understandably, technology firms. However, too many firms that sit outside the technology space have erroneously concluded that AI’s disruption won’t reach them.

A lack of a tangible plan for AI-powered transformation is now a common symptom across the corporate world. And it has two causes: misconceptions of time and scale. 

Disruption is already happening

Far too many executives view AI disruption as something that will happen in the future, rather than something that is happening now. Corporations usually react to innovation like AI by drawing up three-to-five-year plans, or allocating capital for use years down the line to integrate AI into their business – but that will be far too slow with AI. 

Although their aims are commendable, these plans fundamentally misconstrue the timeline of AI disruption. It’s here right now, and a ‘five-year plan’ will leave you fifteen years behind the curve.

AI-powered content creation is upending journalism and the media and entertainment sector. AI has made significant inroads into the healthcare industry, including speeding up new drug development times (Forbes). Algorithmic trading and quantitative analysis are sending shockwaves across trading floors.

These transformations are happening now – not at some unknown time in the future. And management must shift their timelines accordingly.

The scale of AI’s impact has similarly wrongfooted executives. AI will not be confined to one arm of a business. If managers are looking at AI as something that will just take over their customer service operations, then this is far too narrow-minded. AI’s transformation will be across every department, from the shop floor and the back office, right up to the C-suite. 

One part of this root-and-branch shakeup that executives have lost sight of is how AI will create jobs and open up space for new roles. Many executives I speak to still talk of AI impacting people’s jobs as if it’s a myth; but it’s already happening, and this trend is only going to increase over the next few years.

Of course, AI will replace or reduce some jobs, but others will be enhanced, expanded, and created. Executives need to urgently prepare for this just as much as they need to prepare for roles that will be lost or reduced. 

Preparing for disruption

These misconceptions, about both the time and scale of AI’s disruption, have meant that most corporations are underprepared. Some CEOs have been happy to pay lip service to AI by acknowledging its potential, and then making some superficial changes to their business, like updating the ‘insight’ section of their website with a new article, or running one-off AI information sessions with staff.

Unfortunately, this will not sufficiently insulate their firms or lay the foundations for future growth in the AI age – those that continue to work under these false premises will find themselves left in the dust.

So, what should executives be doing to prepare their firms for AI transformation?

Importance of training

The first stage is comprehensive and robust training for their employees. This must go far beyond one-off AI compliance sessions, after which staff are left to carry on business as usual. Employees in any part of the company should have access to basic technical training so that they understand the foundations of programming, data analytics, and natural language processing. 

In the age of co-pilots powered by LLMs, employees need to be trained on the effective usage of AI. This would allow them to better capitalise on the opportunities AI presents in their specific role and contribute to AI-driven projects across their organisations. 

The flip side of this is that staff should also be undertaking mandatory AI ethics and responsible use courses. A company-wide understanding of problems like AI bias, privacy, and accountability will prevent firms from exposing themselves to litigation and fraud.

The company is only as strong as the weakest link in its chain – and there’s no use having the most compliance-oriented C-suite in the world, if ground floor staff members are accidentally violating IP laws or compromising information security with their use of AI.

Allocating resources and control

Beyond rigorous and continual staff training, senior management must be prepared to allocate more resources and control to their technology leaders, be that a CIO, CTO, or otherwise. For technology executives today, a lack of action regarding emerging technology is a major concern; 33% cite a lack of IT resources and 30% cite the pace of digital transformation being too slow as their most significant problems (State of European Dev Ecosystem).

To properly lay the foundations for AI disruption, technology executives must have the required resources and funding – and right now, far too many do not. If this changes, tech executives could invest in scalable and robust IT infrastructure, including cloud computing and advanced data storage. This would improve the performance and reliability of AI systems and better enable their staff to drive value with AI at their fingertips. 

With a bigger war chest, technology executives could also double down on research and development. With dedicated AI R&D teams, umbrella networks with academic institutions, and the latest experimental technology, firms can explore AI trends and strategies in-house. They could then develop, model, and implement AI solutions first and set industry standards, gaining a significant competitive edge in their market.

Recognising the extent of change

These are just some of the many options available to executives in managing AI workplace transformations. But first, they need to recognise the extent to which the ground has shifted underneath their feet. AI workplace disruptions are not just coming; they are here now, and they aren’t constrained to one area or sector; they are business-wide and pan-sector. 

Once tech leaders comprehend the new state of play, they can then begin to roll out comprehensive training programs and empower their employees as well as their executives.

They might then find that their firms are well-positioned to both cope with, but also capitalise on, the AI wave. Instead of delaying and floundering.

Viral Tripathi is Global CIO at Ascendion

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com and metamorworks