Talking Openly About AI
Insights for leaders navigating a digital world.
Welcome to Leading Digital - a three minute read designed to help you ask better questions, make smarter tech decisions, and lead with confidence in today's digital environment.
Talking Openly About AI
Okay, we all know AI is here. As leaders, there are a lot of implications of the AI revolution. Let's tackle just one facet today - talking openly about how AI is being used in the workplace.
Most knowledge workers are using AI to some extent in their day-to-day work, but in recent conversations, I’ve noticed a real mix of approaches when it comes to disclosing that use. Some have reported a feeling that their work would be dismissed or discredited if they mentioned they had used AI in their process, or are concerned their co-workers might think they’re lazy. Others have described a culture of openness in talking about AI use and sharing helpful tips.
You probably have a gut feeling about where your organisation might land on that spectrum. This is a great litmus test for some of the important groundwork we need to do as leaders to build an innovative culture. If you're seeing that hesitant to share behaviour, here are some risks you should be thinking about:
If employees don't have clear guidance about how and when it's okay to use AI, they may be making their own rules. You might be missing out on visibility of which tools are being used and in which areas.
You're probably missing out on productivity gains if employees feel like they have to hide their behaviour around AI use. The organisations leading in AI adoption have mechanisms to encourage staff to share their wins and AI tips with others, so the productivity gains are shared.
This could be a red flag on a shared understanding within the team. AI presents a huge change of pace and employees will need active support to understand what that changes means in their context. If members of the same team are on different pages, it could be a sign that there's a need for training or even a group session on ways of working in the face of these changes.
AI adoption is going to look different in every organisation but one constant is that if your people aren't on board, it's going to be an uphill battle.
Leaders have been asking...
Asking great questions is a leadership skill you already have. Here's some tech questions you can ask your team to clear the air on AI.
A question for yourself: "How are you using AI to be more productive or cut down admin time?"
In the leadership team meeting, to understand if policies and training are hitting the mark: "Do you think if we asked our teams when it's okay to use AI and when it's not, we'd get consistent answers?"
When you're reviewing last quarter with the team: "Does anyone have an AI tip or trick that helped them in the last quarter that they could share with the team?"
Modelling an open environment to talk about AI use is a powerful tool in setting the stage for others to do so - don't forget to share how you're using these tools, too!
Take action!
This fortnight, review your AI use policy if you have one in place (and if you don't, now is a great time to start drafting!).
Consider:
a) whether you think the policy is reflecting what's really happening in the work place. Aspirational policy without a clear path to implementation is only providing you a false sense of security.
b) whether it's clear and simple to know when you would be in breach of the policy.
c) does it address concerns you've heard from within the organisation around the use of AI?
The topic this week can be challenging, and it may surface some frank conversations. It's worth persisting through that to get to a place of shared understanding when it comes to the use of AI at work. If you get stuck, just hit reply here and I'd be happy to help. I'll be back in your inbox next fortnight with more on digital leadership.
Scarlett
