How to get ready for an AI-powered future workplace

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more part of our lives every day, from recommending another movie based on the one we just watched to driving our cars without needing to take the wheel.

The workplace is no exception. AI enables businesses to find valuable data to provide better experiences for customers. There are other benefits too, such as making employees more productive by giving them less mundane jobs, and reducing operational costs with improved efficiency.

The time will soon come when the use of AI will be the norm. Therefore, all businesses, big and small, must adapt to accommodate for AI.

Here are a few tips that show how to get ready for an AI-powered workplace.

Identify The Areas For Improvement

Firstly, businesses must analyse their systems and work out where they will benefit most from the enhanced technology. According to Forbes, there are 7 types of AI, ranging from reactive machines to artificial superintelligence (ASI), meaning that businesses have opportunities such as the ability to streamline their workflows, decrease data processing time and receive useful insights faster.

One particular area that stands to benefits is the back office. It often goes unnoticed but is nevertheless very important to the success of many businesses across the world, covering the likes of HR, finance, logistics and more. They all have their own workflows that require lots of time and effort to make work.

AI will turn the back office from a labor-intensive setting into a flourishing, effective environment. For example, implementing robotic process automation (RPA) can conduct high-quality risk assessments, automate claims, predict demand, and more. This doesn’t even cover the tedious manual tasks that many RPA systems are currently being used for.

Provide Adequate Infrastructure

AI cannot be integrated into business systems unless the IT infrastructure is there. It requires a lot of resources to function as the computations are very sophisticated. 

Businesses that are using general-purpose CPUs may find it tough to keep up with the demands placed on them by the AI applications. On the other hand, by upgrading to next-generation CPUs, they will be able to keep up and deliver the required performance.

Another thing to considers is the storage. Solutions must be robust and can process data in real-time. 

In terms of deployment, there are plenty of things to consider when deciding to use the cloud or on-site infrastructures, such as the overall setup and maintenance costs and security.

Businesses may find it easier to opt for cloud solutions if they are just starting out with AI. Amazon AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure, among others, are top-tier services that come with great development tools to ensure that AI is being used at its full potential.

Of course, as AI becomes more ingrained into the business, these costs are going to increase, meaning eventually an on-site solution may be more beneficial to meet business needs.

Educate The Workforce

Employees must be on board with the Ai if the future workplace is to become a success. Ultimately, AI is just a tool that stands to enhance the productivity of employees – if they know how to use it properly.

Employees are the most valuable asset of all businesses. Ensuring they are equipped with the necessary skills is vital to staying competitive and relevant in a marketplace that is constantly evolving.

With this in mind, it’s important that employees realize that machines cannot do everything – at least for now and in the foreseeable future. Successful companies will find ways to integrate their workforce and their human insights with the capabilities of artificial intelligence. Remember that while the AI can uncover useful patterns in data, it’s up to the people make conclusions and the decisions that follow.

As such, companies must invest in appropriate training solutions. As a result, they become more valuable to the organization.

AI can also help with creating the training content. For example, it can personalize the training so it meets the needs of that particular business, meaning more engaging training sessions, higher accuracy in task completion and lowering the costs of the training altogether.

STEM Investment

Next, businesses must prepare for an AI-powered workplace by investing in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. AI will require STEM graduates in order to understand how these systems work. The current pool of those able to do so is very low.

The United States’ education system seems to be lacking in this department. Relevant bodies must start to prioritize resources to provide the required education. 

Businesses should start cooperating with schools and universities now to get the ball rolling. Internships or work experience opportunities is a great way to start bridging the gap.

The faster these processes can be put in place, the better off they will be in the future with skilled personnel in the correct positions.

As weird as it may now seem, AI was previously just an idea conceived from the world of sci-fi. That said, we’ve constantly seen how such ideas have been turned to reality. So as weird as it may sound, take some time to check out some of the most popular sci-fi books. Cool Things Chicago has curated a great list here.

Change The Working Culture

Finally, it’s important that business adapt their working culture to attract the best talent and retain existing key people. The way technology enables users to connect means the traditional 9-to-5 working week is no more. 

Management must understand what keeps their employees satisfied and motivated. For example, some employees are far more productive when working remotely. Thanks to advancements in the likes of 5G and broadband, work can be completed away from the office much more efficiently than before.

Forcing workers to remain in an office is not the modern way to do things, especially when trying to attract new STEM talent. Business such focus on providing the best possible environment for product work, rather than just rooting them to a desk.

Conclusion

AI has grabbed the attention of businesses all over the world, having shown it can enhance the overall efficiency of the workplace. From preparing to the back office and ensuring that the infrastructure is there, to changing the working culture of the organization, there’s plenty that can be done to ensure that they’re ready when the time comes for AI integration.