Advancing AI-enabled workplaces
With the rapid developments in the field of generative AI in recent years, AI has become an increasingly valuable and widely adopted tool to support business processes. Not only does it provide organizations with the opportunity to improve productivity and reduce costs, but it also drives innovation, with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) reporting a rise in the number of AI-related patent applications, indicating increased innovation in this area.
Despite significant investments in AI technology, many companies are not fully utilizing its potential. Our recent research reveals a striking disparity: while 80% of companies are increasing their AI investments, only 47% of UK employees are actively using AI in their roles. Additionally, concerns remain about the accuracy of AI, with 30% of respondents expressing concerns about the reliability of generative AI outputs. While the high level of corporate investment is encouraging, there is a clear need to broaden AI adoption among employees. To maximize returns on both business and generative AI investments, organizations must focus on enabling their workforce to use these technologies effectively.
Bridging the knowledge gap in AI
Effective AI integration in the workplace must start with comprehensive AI training, where a significant gap already exists in this area, with almost half of UK workers reporting not having been offered any AI training. This lack of proper guidance on using AI has led to widespread distrust among the workforce. The survey found that 45% of UK employees express a lack of confidence in AI technologies. Organizations may expose themselves to instances of unethical AI use and/or security risks.
Cultivating an AI-enabled workforce
Despite AI’s potential to address workplace challenges, many employees are still struggling with problems it could solve. Our research shows that 62% of employees believe they would benefit from a reduced workload, while 35% say they need more time to complete their tasks. To realize the potential of AI in addressing these issues, organizations must create an environment where employees feel confident to safely explore and experiment with AI integrations. It’s critical to recognize that while business leaders understand the overarching business strategy, employees have invaluable insights into their specific roles and workflows. Therefore, successful Enterprise AI integration requires a balanced approach that aligns with both the strategic vision of leadership and the practical needs of the workforce.
Responsible AI use
The responsible use of AI is not as simple as prescriptively banning specific instructions or the use of certain confidential business data. Instead, it’s about setting a comprehensive company-wide direction for AI use.
As the performance of Enterprise AI integrations improves with access to better quality data, ensuring security and governance processes have the additional effect of improving accuracy and protecting businesses from security threats. This way, employees can work safely with the knowledge they use AI, giving them the freedom to experiment with how the technology can benefit them.
Companies should assess their existing technology stack and prepare for AI integration. This preparation is crucial as only 44% of UK employees believe Enterprise AI currently has the necessary context to be valuable. By giving AI models access to contextual business data, companies can significantly increase the effectiveness of AI and open up a range of new possibilities.
Automation extends AI value
The capabilities of Enterprise AI are already extensive and cover a wide range of tasks. When integrated with automation technologies, its potential increases significantly, dramatically increasing both scope and efficiency. Automation can give employees the ability to perform repetitive tasks, complemented by the capabilities of AI they can even analyze text, images and video. This gives them flexibility in completing their own work and encourages them to find new, more productive methods of completing tasks.
Additionally, offering software automation and Enterprise AI together to employees provides opportunities to build efficiencies across the company. Individual employees automating tasks can expand to entire divisions of large organizations automating workflows end-to-end. The combined impact of giving all employees control over their workflows and the skills to automate can transform both their productivity and the way companies operate as more efficient ways of working are found over time.
Effective AI implementation requires a collaborative approach
Investing alone in AI technology is not enough to guarantee success. The value derived from Enterprise AI implementations comes from a combination of factors: employees developing skills to use AI effectively, companies deploying models safely and ethically, and the ability to integrate business-specific contextual data to drive AI output to improve.
UK companies looking to leverage AI should focus on these areas to avoid inefficiencies. Given the significant opportunities presented by Enterprise AI and automation, it is critical for organizations to carefully consider how these technologies can best be integrated within their specific operational context.
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