Finding your AI curiosity zone in talent

Technology is rapidly evolving - both in hiring and beyond. In a world where robot babies walk the runway at Paris Fashion week, the threat of deepfakes photos circulating looms and the future of work is questioned - it's clear there isn't going to be a comfort zone when it comes to new tech changing the future and Artificial Intelligence leading the way. But there is a way to learn and grow in the AI space without feeling uncomfortable: we need to stay curious.

Bernard Marr, a world-renowned futurist, influencer and thought leader in the fields of business and technology writes: 

A recent IBM Institute for Business Value (IBM IBV) survey found that 4 in 5 executives say generative AI will change employee roles and skills. While workers at all levels will feel the effects of generative AI, lower-level employees are expected to see the biggest shift. What’s more, 76% of HR leaders believe that if their organization does not adopt and implement AI solutions, such as generative AI, in the next 12 to 24 months, they will be lagging in organizational success compared to those that do.

It is, therefore, more important than ever that businesses look at how to put AI to work in talent management. Luckily, it’s an area where innovation is rife. AI is rapidly creating new solutions to old problems in HR – most prominently those involving admin, compliance, and record-keeping. It can be used for efficiently automating routine tasks like managing schedules and generating and filing reports.

It’s also increasingly being used to make decisions that could affect people’s lives – such as filtering potential candidates for interviews or evaluating performance.”

Having met with HR departments, companies and tech-skilled workers dabbling with AI, the takeaways are clear. The more prepared, educated, and curious you are about this changing landscape - the more comfortable you're going to feel as it unfolds.  

Here are some ideas for how to begin to ease into this space, find way in the noise and feel a bit less hectic about the changes coming.

1) Stay well-read on the topic of AI, especially in the talent space. Lots of literature is being created around changes in the technology, ways it is being used, how other companies are benefitting, and how various HR teams are implementing new tech roles. AI will show up in different ways in HR – from how we recruit and which modules we use to sift through skills and complex talent pools, but also in which kinds of roles we are looking for, and how the candidate experience may change due to AI. Its impacts will be spanning across much of our work functions so it’s important to understand each aspect of hiring and how it may be impacted.

A recent report from EY US, asking if “the meteoric rise of AI made you anxious?” says “The rise of GenAI has given more people direct exposure to AI, with largely positive sentiment. An overwhelming 90% say their organization uses at least one AI technology, with GenAI topping the list. Most believe AI will make them more efficient (82%), more productive (81%) and able to focus on higher value work (81%).

2) Test using Generative AI in your personal life.  If you haven't already used AI in personal life, this a great way to stay up to date on how it works and test its capabilities and get comfortable in getting the most from the function. Try out tools such as https://chefai.recipes/ an app which will create recipes based on ingredients you have on hand or alter recipes to exclude dairy etc. Or for those already subscribing to Spotify, try Spotify AI DJ, a personalized AI guide that gets to know you and your music taste, to choose what to play for you!

3) Connect with tech and HR professionals in your network who have dabbled with AI. Understanding how it is impacting their roles and what they see coming could be a great place to start. This is the time for us to learn from one another – what works, what doesn’t and what’s driving cost reduction and efficiency? For example, and in Recruitment, AI has been used to dramatically streamline recruitment at large companies that receive thousands of applications every day. It allows recruiters to spot candidates with important skills or experience that might be overlooked among mountains of applications using traditional selection processes.

4) Understand the risks and the way AI is altering how we hire.

There are several risks associated with AI and it is key to choose the right tools that can help you stay updated on new regulations, patterns, concerns and developments in AI technology. It is also important to understand that candidates are also going to be armed with this AI technology and identify the risks associated with this.

The EY report continues, says “Employees are also anxious about whether they, personally, are using AI responsibly (65%). Their concerns span cybersecurity (75%), legal implications (e.g., plagiarism, intellectual property rights) (77%), ethical and moral considerations (e.g., potential bias and discrimination) (71%). They want more guidance and regulation to gain a deeper understanding of AI: what constitutes responsible, legal, and ethical use and what does not”.

5) Be open to trying new things and don’t be afraid.

Working with the right teams and setting up great strategies will set a strong foundation for you to explore and test and learn in the AI space. Creating parameters around your test cases and working with the right partners will help you to feel secure and strategic with your AI experiments. 

Bernard Marr continues: 

“AI brings responsibilities for HR teams, as well as many opportunities. Each stage comes with its unique challenges – which could be technical challenges, as well as regulatory and compliance-related, or involving issues of privacy, ethics, or transparency.

It’s obvious from what’s going on around us that this AI-driven transformation of HR is not just a passing fad. It’s the trend that’s going to define the way organizations find, hire, train, and retain key people from now on.

AI will change so many aspects of talent management that the workloads of HR departments will look hugely different in the near future. AI will continue to expand in speed and scope, making it capable of a growing number of tasks. It will become better at knowing more and more about us, and even predicting our behavior.

At every level of the business, there will need to be cooperation in order to come up with smart solutions to the challenges around security, privacy and ethics.

But it will all be worthwhile if the end result is more efficient businesses, more effective talent acquisition and retention, and, most importantly of all, happier people.”

Links referenced:

https://www.hcamag.com/ca/specialization/hr-technology/theres-almost-this-hr-professional-20-that-needs-to-be-invented-tech-exec-on-hr-and-ai-adoption/474491

Businesses can stop rising AI use from fueling anxiety | EY - US

Put AI To Work For Talent Management | LinkedIn