Jonathan Sharp, CEO, Britannic
Businesses need to change the perception of AI from being the ‘villain’ to the invisible superhero that will augment employees’ roles and create more jobs. McKinsey Global Institute estimates that as early as 2030 AI could contribute to the creation of 20 million to 50 million new jobs globally. Leaders need to change strategies, look at where and why they need AI, re-deploying resources, and focusing on re-skilling and educating employees on AI. Leading like superheroes and empowering their team for transformation.
Stronger Together
AI possesses extraordinary powers to transform and make a difference in the world with its superhuman characteristics such as exceptional speed, invisibility, agility, and genius level intellect beyond human capability. They are more akin to superheroes than villains, but superheroes and AI deployments also succumb to weaknesses because no one or nothing is perfect. Yes, AI can read and interrupt data, predict trends and patterns, generate content, become your co-assistant, the list goes on and on. But it cannot do what humans do best, which is to form strategic, critical thinking, make emotional, rational, creative, and ethical judgements and decisions borne from human intuition. By blending humans and AI together to act for good then you really do have a true superhero with superhuman powers to transform and improve the workplace forever!
“The only way to win is together,” Iron Man.
Know Your Mission
Superheroes set out to make the world a better place, knowing what their mission is before they commence, understanding what their objectives are and seeing the end before they begin. Digital transformation now sits top of the agenda and businesses need to know where in their organisation they want to deploy AI, why and what they want to improve, and what is the success criteria to measure the success of the project. Whether that’s driven by cost-savings, increasing productivity or efficiencies, or improving the employee or customer experience. This can be an overwhelming and daunting task so it is advisable to work with a consultative technology partner to work closely with you on your plan and the deployment of the solution.
“Part of the Journey is The End” – Tony Stark.
Be Brave
Every superhero is courageous and determined to face the obstacles that stand in their way, learning and growing in their quest to make a difference.
Managers, employees and customers are all somewhat fearful of AI for different reasons. Managers know that it will benefit them to streamline processes, increase productivity and efficiencies but they don’t know what exactly they need it and how to deploy it. Employees are scared that it will take over their jobs and customers may be scared to use as it is new and different.
Humans are in control of AI and not the other way round, and AI needs humans to understand how it is going to be used and benefit employees’ roles and the business. Managers can work with a Solutions Provider who will discover what your challenges are and how AI can solve them and benefit your business. They need to instil to employees that AI will be used to assist employees with their jobs helping them be more productive and efficient by working with AI, making their roles easier but more fulfilling as they will be handing over the daily mundane tasks to AI. They should view AI as assistants to collaborate and learn with them. For customers the AI option is just another choice in how they communicate with your business helping to improve the customer experience and increase revenue.
“There is a superhero in all of us, we just need the courage to put on the cape,” Superman.
Leading with a Superhero Mindset
The deployment of AI requires the management team to fully advocate it and communicate to the business how it will benefit them for good and deliver improvements all round. They should lead like a Superhero by empowering and supporting employees through the change.
Empower and involve employees in designing an AI solution helping to reduce the fear factor by understanding how they think AI can improve and facilitate their roles and what challenges they are experiencing. By involving them from the offset you will get buy-in which will contribute to the success of the project.
Your Solutions Provider can assist you in re-engineering processes and helping you design an AI solution to meet your objectives, whether that’s a chatbot, data entry and processing, email filtering, data analysis or admin tasks such as organising calendars, writing reports, or managing logistics.
“With great power comes great responsibility,” Peter Parker, Spiderman.
Collaborating and Transparent Culture
Businesses need to welcome and champion AI communicating how change is a good by fostering a culture that is transparent, honest, providing the space for employees to make and learn from their mistakes and suggest new ideas and concepts.
AI reveals data insights where employees can identify areas that need improving or changing or spotting new areas to offer new products and propositions. Humans excel in critical thinking and reasoning and have the creativity and imagination to come with up solutions that AI cannot do. Encourage your employees to down tools and stop and think, cultivating a creative culture that presents them with the opportunity to suggest new ideas and improvements.
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall,” Batman.
Integrity and Equality
Superheroes are honest with great integrity and are trusted by citizens. It is vital to act with integrity and equality when deploying AI ensuring that your solution ethical and contains no biases and if issues arise, they must be amended immediately so you have agency and transparency.
“There is a right and a wrong in the universe and that distinction is not hard to make,” Superman.
Learning and Growing
AI is new and with all new things we must learn them. Ensure you and your employees are trained in using the AI by providing ongoing education and training sessions, allocate mentors and champions to support and help it roll out. Give them the time to play around with AI, practicing, and testing it out, be patient this will take time.
AI solutions provide insights into data resulting in information to make intelligent business decisions so ensure that this valuable information is being used strategically and across relevant departments, and it is not going unused and siloed in one department.
“I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” – Superman.
Forever Transforming
Through transformation and growth Superheroes are made and an AI deployment is an evolutionary process where humans and AI learn and grow together. Emphasis to your employees that it’s OK to make mistakes when practising and using the AI solution. When we fail, we learn and grow from our mistakes. By testing out AI and learning collectively you will become more comfortable on how to use the new solution and be confident on the benefits it delivers. Resulting in translating the business needs into system design and making what you thought was impossible possible all with the help of your Solution Provider.
“You’re going to make a difference. A lot of times it won’t be huge, it won’t be visible even. But it will matter just the same.” James Gordon, Batman.
Superheroes Unite
AI and humans are the superheroes of the world of work today demonstrating superhuman powers to solve real business issues. AI can analyse and interpret masses of data at a speed and scalability that is not possible for humans, and employees can then take this data and make intelligent creative business decisions that transform processes or the employee and customer experience.
AI should no longer be seen as a complex or scary villain but as an invisible superhero that provides superhuman powers behind the scenes. Human employees will learn how to collaborate with their AI assistants utilising their superhuman powers to make their role easier and more fulfilling and transforming the workplace making the impossible possible.
“We’re better together,” Captain America.
