A recent article we reviewed predicted that by 2028 an average person will spend more meaningful conversation time with AI than any single human in their life.
Read that again.
More time in conversation with AI than your partner……more time than with your kids…….and definitely more time than with your work colleagues.
Wow!
The impact of this is significant.
We all know the benefits of AI. We know the potential cost savings and improvements it can bring, but have you also stopped to think about the downsides?
- What impact will it have on your team?
- Are they starting to feel lonely?
- What about their overall well-being?
- What plans can you put in place now to realise the benefits without losing the engagement, connection and commitment of your people?
Extensive AI use can erode human connection.
If relationships are weakened and people no longer have the need for their “work friends”, it impacts both their engagement and connection to your business, and their well-being.
It may feel like ChatGPT is a friend, but it’s no substitute for having a genuine laugh over lunch with a trusted colleague. And that’s the stuff that makes people love coming to work.
As you move forward in this AI journey, think carefully and deliberately about how to maintain human connection in your business.
- More social occasions?
- Meetings without laptops or screens, purely for discussions only?
- Walking meetings?
Do whatever it is that will maintain connection in your work situation. In the long run you and your team will benefit from it.
Overuse of AI threatens cognitive skills and learning.
It’s a proven fact that for your brain to keep functioning at a high level, it needs to be used. When too much thinking is delegated out to AI, it has the potential to diminish critical thinking and learning opportunities.
- Think about when use of AI is appropriate and when a human solution is important and integrate both into your AI strategy and business processes.
- As AI reduces natural learning as part of everyday work, how do you keep your team moving forward, developing skills and keeping sharp in other ways?
- Learning and development should also become an important part of your annual planning.
Team members can become overwhelmed with the pace of AI change and the need to keep up.
You may be excited about the improvement opportunities, time saving and cost reductions that AI can bring. However, as you become more deeply involved with AI and the faster it is adopted, the more processes and ways of working will change.
Think about the impact of these changes on your team.
Every improvement you make is a change for them, and just like any change, should be well communicated and advance at a pace which allows them to keep up. Your team still need to feel in control of their work and their outcomes, and be involved in the change to remain engaged and productive.
Sometimes it’s more effective for long term results to slow down a tad and make sure you have your team alongside you for the journey.
As the use and integration of AI increases, now is a good time pause and get it right.
Having a plan that prioritises your people and utilises the benefits AI can bring will keep your team strong and successful for the long term.
Positive People have been supporting businesses to develop high performing teams for over 30 years. Contact us now on 0800 49 00 00 or here to find out how we can help you to develop an AI and engagement plan which works for you.