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A friend realized his lifelong dream of buying a small hotel by the sea and completely renovating it. Shortly before the opening, she created a website. The descriptions of the rooms and property were as sophisticated as you would see in a glossy travel magazine. I asked who she had commissioned to write the text. Her answer surprised me: the descriptions were provided courtesy of ChatGPT.
Admittedly, the text was not without errors. The property’s backstory was missing – which I saw as a great opportunity to share how my friend had visited the hotel years ago and fallen in love with its simple charm. The word “meticulous” has been used too often. My friend’s dream hotel website made two things clear to me: First, that the AI’s capabilities are impressive. The OECD recently reported that ChatGPT can write jokes, write computer code and essays, formulate medical diagnoses, create games and explain complex scientific concepts. However, ChatGPT is not perfect. And second, when combined with an editor’s eye or a human touch, it could be a powerful tool. The whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.
The age of AI has arrived and its potential to transform the workplace landscape cannot be overstated. However, most knowledgeable workers will be able to use AI to complement their work rather than replace it entirely. The missing link? Training and further education – this is not just an office advantage. Recent research has shown that 4 out of 5 employees want to learn more about the use of AI in their job. It is up to leaders to provide these important training opportunities.
Here’s a closer look at how leaders can bridge the gap between AI and employees and equip them with the skills they need in this age of rapid change.
Related topics: How to successfully implement AI in your company – overcome challenges and build a future-proof team
Why (and what) learn
As CEO of Jotform, I want our employees to have fulfilling lives and have time for their friends, family and hobbies. It is good for their well-being and as an added benefit it benefits our organization in terms of creativity and productivity. Happier and refreshed employees add invaluable energy to their work. I also understand that as a leader, it may seem impractical to add learning to employees’ already full plates – but ongoing training is critical to the development of your employees and the health of your company.
Today, the average half-life of capabilities is less than five years – in some technology areas, even two and a half years. Research has shown that companies with strong learning cultures experience higher retention rates, more internal mobility, and a healthier management pipeline compared to companies with weaker learning cultures. Additionally, employees are hungry for new skills, especially Generation Z, the fastest-growing generation in the workforce. The youngest generation of workers (born after 1996) is expected to overtake baby boomers this year. According to a recent survey, 53% of Generation Z value learning for career advancement, compared to 37% of Millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers combined.
The question arises: Which skills are most important to employees?
The ability to leverage new technologies such as AI and automation tools is the obvious answer. And no doubt that’s part of the equation. But as AI plays an increasingly larger role in our working lives, human skills are also becoming more valuable.
As Harvard Business Review notes, and as my friend’s hotel website example shows, AI lacks the human ability to understand context. While AI tools like ChatGPT understand the task and perform it almost perfectly, they lack the “why” of it all and the expertise gained through years of experience to evaluate materials in their larger context.
Other critical skills that AI lacks include people management skills such as effective communication, conflict resolution and problem solving. As Ted English, former CEO of TJX Companies and current chairman of Bob’s Discount Furniture, told Harvard Business Review, leadership requires “a lot of instinct, experience and knowledge. Some of this you can’t get from a machine. Technology amplifies and enables you to make a safer decision.”
We can rely on AI to handle certain tasks, from content creation to document review. You can strengthen our work. However, a human eye is required to review the work product and ensure that it has the correct context and quality. In this sense, humans also reinforce the work of AI.
Related: AI vs. Humanity – Why Humans Will Always Win in Content Creation
Create a learning environment
It is widely accepted that companies and employees who use AI have a competitive advantage. The challenge for managers is to empower employees to do this. How can managers ensure their employees are adequately trained to use the latest AI and automation tools?
One side of the equation is employee motivation. Research shows that employees who set career goals are four times more engaged than those who don’t set goals. Leaders and managers can take time to discuss employees’ career goals and how developing specific skills will further those goals.
The most valuable and hardest-to-find commodity in learning is, of course, time. One strategy for making time for learning is to integrate learning into employees’ workflow, rather than requiring them to take time outside of their typical workday. Research shows that most employees prefer to learn this way – in a 2021 BCG survey of 209,000 workers, 65% said they prefer learning on the job. As I’ve found in nearly two decades of running my business, it’s worth making time for training, during lunch breaks, or between regularly scheduled tasks. Not only does it change the pace of the day, but it also challenges employees in new ways, quickly increasing daily engagement.
Related: Make time to study when no one has time
Another way leaders can help their employees fit training and education into their busy schedules is by fostering an automation-first mindset. Encourage your employees to regularly reflect on what tasks are most meaningful to them – what projects and tasks put them in a “flow” state; what tasks they wish they could devote more time to – and finding AI and automation tools to carry out the rest. This approach saves time, speeds up or shifts tedious work and, most importantly, mental energy.
The emergence of AI should not be taken lightly. But it’s not necessarily a change that employees should be afraid of. The companies that gain a competitive advantage through AI will be those that rethink normal ways of doing things in the age of AI and equip their employees with the resources to capitalize on them. When you have more time for meaningful work – things only humans can do – your employees will be happier and your company will be stronger.