Working Life Stories
Working life story: Tesse Akpeki
Tesse Akpeki has years of experience in governance, having started in the field when it...read more
Not retiring: Making the most of AI
AI is moving at pace, but a lot of workers are not getting the support they need from their employers or are using it secretly to save time. That’s risky and means employers are not making the most of the new technology.
Almost three in 10 UK professionals are actively using Artificial Intelligence at work, but a quarter lack confidence in doing so, according to a new survey. The Opinium survey of 2,000 people found one in 10 (9 per cent) said the use of AI was mandatory where they worked, but 31 per cent had not received any training on how to incorporate AI into their roles.
This is a huge issue and one which our sister site workingmums.co.uk will be focusing on in its Careers Week in September. Alongside those who are obliged to use AI, but don’t know how to are many people who are using AI ‘secretly’ to save themselves time, but without their employer knowing what they are doing because there is no official policy on AI.
That is a big mistake because secret use can lead to all sorts of problems in the future. Another issue is that some people feel left behind by the speed of AI change. We await the next iteration of ChatGPT later this year, for instance. Already many are using it for everything from writing social media posts at work to doing research for reports. Yet ChatGPT only draws on existing information and some of it may not be altogether accurate or up to date.
That is why human oversight, however fallible that can be, is still needed. And to weed out potential bias [although one reason for introducing AI into processes is to counter human bias. The problem is that AI cannot currently oversee its own inbuilt bias]. A recent survey we did of workingwise.co.uk readers found a lot of distrust and worry about AI shutting them out of jobs if they don’t have the traditional career path.
The Careers Week webinar on AI, jobs and recruitment covers all of this ground and more, with a big emphasis on employers developing an AI policy to guide employees and to reduce risks, but also on employees understanding better the specific tasks associated with their roles and how AI can assist them rather than replace them. While an overall policy is important it is those on the ground who know better how to get the most out of AI. But they may need time and space to get to grips with that and a manager who is aware of the risks and also the potential benefits.
Related
Returning to work
Transitioning to a career in teaching
Natasha Paling used to work in financial services, but after taking a career break to look...read more
