AI And Technology In The Workplace – A Friend Or Foe To Soft Skills?

It’s 2 pm on a Monday. You’re sitting on your desk, sipping your 3rd coffee of the day, 70 tabs open in Google Chrome, Zoom meeting in the background, never-ending unread emails, chats pinging and phone constantly ringing…?

Sounds like an average day at work for many professionals in 2023.

Repetitive tasks take over and the most important things keep falling to the bottom of the priority list.

You might be thinking, how do I break this cycle and how can I make my life?easier?

ChatGPT perhaps?

Technology in the workplace?is at an all-time high, and artificial intelligence (AI) is taking the world by storm – is this a tool to be leveraged – or a?threat?

25,000 CEO’S have signed an open letter asking for a pause in the development of AI technology, to truly understand the challenges and dangers of it. On the flip side, Microsoft recently invested over $10bn in ChatGPT and is already creating explosive search engine wars by testing the latest version 4 on its own search engine, Bing. Microsoft 365 Copilot launched in March 2023, providing access to an AI productivity tool within four out of five of the top Fortune 500 companies that rely on Office 365 to power their business.????

There is one thing that artificial intelligence can’t do (yet), and that’s being human – like you. (Something we’ll explore later in the blog).

What does the growth in AI and?technology in the workplace?mean for your future?

Navigating another ocean of change, trying to find the competitive advantage.?

While the majority of organisations and professionals wait and see how this technology develops, the earliest adopters will get on the front foot to create market-winning, first-mover advantage. Technology is dramatically changing in business, but it’s important to know?how?to leverage this to improve your external and internal communication.?

Embracing?technology in the workplace?changes the way businesses operate. It also?changes how you need to communicate. In most developed countries, there tends to be organisational resistance to change. Many common questions raised including:??

“What does it mean for me as an employee?”?

“Is my job safe?”?

“How will my job change?”?

“Can I do it successfully?”?

These questions – understandably – get asked because advances in?technology in the workplace?have seen job losses in the past… However the real question that you should be asked is?“How can I leverage technology to my advantage and how do I develop skills that AI could never take on?” AI and technology is about taking new ideas and building on them. It’s standing on the shoulders of giants.?

AI is not a human being – so?technology in the workplace?can never replace human to human connection.

The thing you have, that AI doesn’t, is the ability to look someone in the eyes, laugh, give a hand shake and express our innermost feelings. Connection.

Developing our communication and human interaction skills will always have us ahead of the game when it comes to AI. People trust?people, not robots.

Is?technology in the workplace?a friend or foe for soft skills?

A friend: Leveraging AI for transformational results

Embracing technology and AI at work, allows more time to invest in irreplaceable human skills, ie your communication and leadership. How?

• Enhanced decision-making:?AI enables you to make informed decisions by providing access to data and insights through analytics and predictive modelling. This improves your leadership by enabling well-informed strategies and goals.
• Streamlined collaboration:?AI-powered collaboration tools facilitate effective communication among leaders and teams, enabling seamless coordination across locations and time zones. This fosters efficient sharing of information and feedback.
• Personalised communication:?AI assists you in tailoring communication to individuals by analysing data on preferences, performance, and engagement. This quick customisation improves your message delivery and relationship-building.
• Language translation and cultural understanding:?AI language translation tools bridge language barriers, allowing you to communicate in diverse teams. AI algorithms analyse cultural nuances, aiding effective cross-cultural communication.

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A foe: Detrimental impacts of AI on your soft skills

There are a number of ways AI can have a negative impact - find out the 5 ways in which it can hinder you on the full blog here.

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