It is too late to ban your employees from using AI altogether, nor should you necessarily want to. Its capabilities can allow them to accomplish tasks with speed and efficiency hitherto barely
imagined. As a tool, it can turbocharge productivity, much as computers have bypassed manual calculations and formerly laborious written drafts.
As the technology evolves at a breakneck pace, companies are adapting their procedures and approaches to steer a compromise by integrating AI solutions. It would be impractical, if not impossible, to ban AI tools altogether from the office environment, so the new benefits must be balanced with increased responsibility.
AI can be your company's friend or foe
Generative AI, which is just one tool in the new kit, incorporates algorithms such as ChatGPT to potentially create new content, often for internal or external communications, blog posts or other documentation. Typical uses range from audio, images and code to text, videos or simulations. In fact, we have all been using it unhesitatingly for years for tasks like autocomplete in typed documents or chatbot answers.
The key novelty is that in its latest incarnations AI can better mimic human expressions, limited only by the extent of the vast datasets it has been trained on. Yet, it still lacks human strategic judgment and contextual knowledge.
The benefits are self-evident: streamlined workflows, accelerated learning, heightened efficiency and extra time freed up for critical activities. Not surprisingly, 38% of Gen Z employees have developed an overreliance on it, according to a Talent LMS survey; it is too tempting to delegate every task. That dependency can leave them with skill gaps for performing independently without the assistance of AI.
Despite these advantages, there are risks. The ethical lines for cheating may blur, given how difficult it is to police AI usage. After all, most employees can manage to use AI without detection.
Companies must be vigilant about protecting confidential information, too, particularly those that hold proprietary intellectual property or operate in highly regulated industries.
Spell out a clear policy
It is up to employers to articulate as precisely as possible the company's position on acceptable use of AI programs. Companies and industries differ: Some permit it for internal activities but impose a ban on it for customer-facing communication.
You should distribute firm-wide policy guidelines, which might discuss some of the following rules:
- AI technologies covered, including examples like ChatGPT, Bing or Bard
- Prohibitions on entering private information on generative AI platforms
- Strict bans on disclosing confidential company data or trade secrets
- Expectations regarding transparency
- Warnings against using AI for employment decisions, hiring, firing, promoting or performance monitoring
- Avoiding copyright violations by never claiming personal authorship for AI-generated content
- Consequences and disciplinary actions for AI usage violations
Stay up to date, and highlight "subject to change" in your policy guidelines.
Establish best practices
Best practices describe the most efficient and effective ways to maximize time and improve quality; since they tend to evolve, they can be more flexible than rigid rules and forbidden behavior. Companies develop them in order to implement AI into common procedures.
First, explain the rationale for AI policies, highlighting the importance of individual judgment and accountability. Remind your workforce that AI does not replace responsibility. For instance, they should be alert to the dangers of bias when the tools are improperly deployed.
Train teams to check and cross-check all information zealously. They should be on the lookout for "hallucinations" — those occasions when AI delivers inaccurate or nonsensical information. To guard against such aberrations or the leakage of private material, employees should treat any AI -created content with caution. Approach it as if it might go viral, and declare up front to what extent you are parlaying it.
While you verify and cross-check again, remember to comply with other regulations such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe or California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in California.
When companies roll out AI rules and restrictions, they should take care not to raise alarm or overly inhibit employees from tapping competitive advantages. AI is too valuable to neglect or ignore.