Why AI needs to be a priority for today’s leaders

Whilst artificial intelligence has been a growing force for a number of years now, AI has truly dominated the news agenda for close to the last 12 months. AI tools such as ChatGPT have become increasingly mainstream, with experts predicting AI could change the world as we know it.??

Generative AI has already emerged as a disruptive force across industries, enabling businesses to rethink the way they operate, and AI technology is steadily influencing workplace habits. According to World Economic Forum research, AI is projected to create around 97 million new jobs, potentially countering workforce displacement concerns and scaremongering.?

However, for organisations to truly get to grips with AI and see it’s potential, AI needs to be adopted at a leadership level. If it’s not already, AI should be ingrained as a top priority for today’s leaders.

Where do leaders currently stand on AI usage?

In data from our What Workers Want: Working with AI report, over half (54%) of C-Suite and director level respondents told us they think AI in the workplace should be embraced – with the main benefits that AI could bring being increased productivity, cost savings and process efficiencies.

Interestingly, over one in five (21%) leaders have used ChatGPT in their role, above the overall average of 15%. Nearly a third of leaders (31%) also believe AI will change their job in a positive way.

"Nearly a third of leaders believe AI will change their job in a positive way."

Additionally in 安永 's latest CEO Outlook report, close to two-thirds (65%) of CEOs agree or somewhat agree that AI is a force for good, yet 65% of CEOs also say more work is needed to address the social, ethical and criminal risks in the new AI-fuelled future.

How and why should leaders be embracing AI?

Ultimately, before even beginning to understand how AI works and the potential generative AI can bring, accepting change requires a shift in mindset, skills, and culture. Creating a culture of innovation is really important in today’s workplace, especially if you are to thrive as a leader in a tech driven world.

"Creating a culture of innovation is really important in today’s workplace, especially if you are to thrive as a leader in a tech driven world."

If you’re sceptical about AI or unwilling to let your organisation experiment with the possibilities it can create – it’s likely you’ll be left behind. Leading futurist, Bernard Marr , cites ‘vision’ as one of the top ten skills leaders will need to cultivate as part of the intelligence revolution: “To understand the impact of AI on the business and all of its stakeholders, leaders in the intelligence revolution will need that big-picture vision. How will AI transform the organisation and lead to new business opportunities?”

Having a vision of where AI is likely to fit in within your organisation and where it won’t is key, and this will require leaders investing in AI education both for themselves and for their teams. For example, at Hays we created a global AI steerco with experts and leaders across our business to analyse how we could utilise the technology at pace and set people up for success, whilst ensuring whatever AI technology we chose to use was safe and protected our customers data.

3 lessons leaders should bear in mind on their AI journey

1)???? Don’t fail to communicate

Whilst there’s plenty of interest in AI technology, how it will change the future of work and more, there will understandably be some feelings of concern amongst staff about how AI might affect their jobs. Communication is key to building trust in new technologies, and as a leader – providing regular updates on how AI will be used within your organisation, and the positives this can bring will be essential.

Don’t forget it’s a two-way street – listening to your staff and creating an open forum for people to voice their concerns or feedback will help create the right atmosphere to successfully embrace and make the most of AI.

2)???? Upskilling will become a constant

The skills you and your workforce need to readily utilise AI won’t necessarily be there waiting for you, and identifying the training your staff will need is a key part of working with AI. For technical skills especially, it’s going to become even more competitive for staff who have a good understanding of AI to begin with, so ensuring you are investing in upskilling and development programmes to build AI experts in-house is important.

What’s more, offering upskilling and development opportunities to work with AI will provide ways for staff to continually progress and stay engaged with your organisation.

3)???? Keep on top of trends

As a leader you need to be able to upskill yourself on what AI can do, and constantly keep up to date with trends and best practice – like you would for any other technology change. One way to stay informed is by working with partner organisations, so you can learn from their experiences, challenges, and solutions as well as exchange ideas and feedback.

We recently partnered with Paradigm Junction for example, to support our expertise on the subject as part of our webinar series on AI.

Working with AI won’t be a linear journey as adopting AI is not only a technical challenge, but also a cultural, ethical, and organisational one. Stay engaged, stay informed and embrace the opportunities that AI can bring.