HX in an AI World

I know, you are SICK of hearing about AI. And friends, I get it. In the practice of HR, we are swimming a river that is a mile wide and a mile deep. Between the push and pull of up to 7 different sub-specialties (from Sales and Marketing-Recruiting to Finance-Compensation to Employee Wellbeing and Mental Health and beyond), it feels overwhelming to consider another technological component on the stack that currently exists.

The rise of AI has brought about a new era of technological advancement, but it has also raised concerns about the role of humans in an increasingly automated world. As AI systems become more sophisticated, ensuring that the human experience remains at the forefront of organizational effectiveness is crucial.

I Can't Do ONE MORE THING (or I Am Not Technical)

I had the same reaction. After hearing Brene Brown and Workman, I moved my mindset from victim to empowerment. She stated that this is the space for HR. This is the work of the Humanists. This is the intersection of great culture and great business. This is finding the elevation of Human Experience inside the space of rapidly evolving AI technology. She recommended the book Digital Mindset. From the start of that journey to now, I realize the future is in all of us taking small steps forward to embrace, shape, and help our organizations humanize these advances. This is the first in a series of articles, podcasts, and other material I have compiled to help my team try one little piece of AI at a time. We are all in this together so let's start from the beginning.

AI is Scary

This is a common reaction as we all flashback to any one of several Will Smith's hits. From "I, Robot" to "I am Legend" or even "Gemini Man" we can easily get overwhelmed with the amount of potential tragic scenarios that could occur in the future. I remember watching Terminator when I was younger (yes, that is 1984, and I was alive and at a movie theater). The thought of robots taking over the world had me afraid of the vacuum for a lest a week. The fact is we are surrounded by versions of AI in our everyday lives. Does your Amazon driver know your dog, mine does? Do you jam out to Spotify on extended play based on recommendations? Do you scroll, and if not, teach me your ways! AI is not NEW, it is becoming more of a tool in the hands of individuals than ever before. This is where YOU come in.

AI is Complicated

The good news here is many new tools are making the creation and submission of prompts easier every single day. Yes, you can also start to understand the big world of the HR tech stack and how AI is evolving rapidly across the space. You might want to set aside a few hours a day to try and keep up. The other option is based on one of my favorite self-improvement methodologies. 1% at a time gives us greater than a 50% change in a year. How does this work in this context? Below I will give you a few tools that meet the following criteria: How can AI elevate the Human Experience for yourself, your team, and your organization using easy steps? We will start small and build from there. Pick one. Try it. Report back. We learn from each other.

AI for Customizing Employee Communication:

One of the easiest ways to start using tools like ChatGPT is getting assistance with written communication. If you have never used any AI-based tool, start with something small. Let's say you are launching a wellness challenge. You can simply insert a prompt requesting a short article to sell employees on that includes reputable sources of the impact of (walking, water consumption, etc.). If you are unsure of how to write a prompt you can google ChatGPT prompt generator or just play with the tool modifying certain elements to refine the output. In this example, maybe you are want to hone in on wellness activities that can be done from a desk or before a meeting. Here is the 2.0 of this basic output: The very essence of elevating HX is to customize content to the reader. This shortcut will allow you to quickly generate content for different groups creating greater reach, inclusivity and belonging. For example, if you field staff that are never in an office, some team members that work at a Headquarters and another population that sits at client sites you can change the prompt for each environment and with a few clicks create something that is specific to the experience of each team member.

Coaching and Leadership Development

You don't have to be and expert to teach how to use a tool. The great news is teaching others is one of the best ways for each of us to learn at a deeper level. In this way, consider integrating some AI-based tools into your leadership development toolkit. One of the biggest challenges for leaders is regulating emotion and staying grounded during challenging conversations. Consider giving your leaders a bit of homework to consider various ways to address and coach a struggling team member. Providing the steps to quickly writing a prompt such as (this is everyone's favorite): How to address an employee with body odor? In this case, using Microsoft Co-pilot the leader can read up and prepare talking points before meeting with an HR Business partner for final guidance and delivery advise. This "teaching leaders how to fish" helps them feel more prepared. Imagine a world where you can spend the coaching time with your leader practicing and refining delivery for a positive outcome vs. writing their script! This is the elevation of HX for all of us! Stay tuned for some upcoming tools as we share how we are integrating this learning into our Leadership Development series.

Telling the Time vs. Building the Watch

I am not known for my brevity. It is something I consistently work to improve. In Executive speak, tell me the time vs. how to build the watch. Recently I came across a new tool. I write an original draft and enter the text into Quillbot. This fun tool takes all of that good stuff and paraphrases the language. You can even select the tone or, if you are the King/Queen of brevity and are looking to expand our thoughts from a starting point, QB does this as well. You can also use this tool to simply re-structure the tone to something more formal (or less) depending on your audience. The next time you go to send an e-mail, consider trying it.

The Time is NOW

Ultimately, the future of work will be defined by the seamless integration of AI and human expertise. By embracing this symbiotic relationship, HR can play a pivotal role in shaping an organizational landscape where technology enhances, rather than replaces, the irreplaceable human experience.