Is Your AI Working Against You?

There is no argument that AI is changing how many of us work. While it can make some tasks easier, it can also cause unforeseen problems. Let’s look at some ways AI can make work tricky.

What are the downsides of AI in the workplace?

It’s indisputable that AI (Artificial Intelligence) enables computer systems to do the things that normal and regular human intelligence can do – except much, much faster. It can support so many jobs by researching, writing, analyzing data, and can even creating art.
That may be true, but it ain’t perfect.

Your IT support, whether an internal IT services department or outsourced Managed Services Provider (MSP) should be a fount of good advice. If they’re worth their salt, they’re already using AI in a number of areas.

We should examine the factors we need to be asking about AI:

How reliable is AI’s information gathering?

Here’s a cold, hard fact: AI sometimes generates misinformation. When you pose a query, it scans the internet for what it deems appropriate information, but sometimes it is not. It may mix up facts or use data that is too old. This can cause huge problems in the workplace.

Weird outputs

Hollywood gets it: Think of those ‘fish out of water’ stories, like an alien landing on Earth and trying to make sense of what it sees but putting it together wrong, like Jeff Bridges in ‘Starman,’ assuming that when a traffic light turns yellow, it means ‘speed up’ (even though most of us do just that). This can cause AI to make strange mistakes, writing nonsense or creating odd images. This may not only cause some head scratching but wastes time and creates confusion.

How often is AI biased?

In a study by the Viterbi School of Engineering at USC states that “More than a third of those “facts” (in the study) are biased.” The USC team also discovered that the algorithms were regurgitating “information” even more biased than the data they were given.
Ever heard the phrase ‘garbage in – garbage out?’ Depending on who set it up, AI can be biased. It learns from data given to it by humans, so if that data has bias in it, then the AI will too. If you watched the news in the run-up to the last Presidential election, you may recall how ChatGPT refused to comment on whether Trump would make a good President, but spoke glowingly – and at great length, about Harris. Somebody programmed that in. This can lead to misconceptions in the public arena but can also lead to unfair decisions in the workplace.

Is AI a real threat to jobs?

While AI is an enhancement to many users as a hardworking assistant, it can be a threat to others’ job security.
Job loss

Many fear that AI will steal their jobs because it can perform certain tasks more quickly and for less money than humans. This fear did not take long to become a reality, as a few companies have started to cut employees. CNBC reported that 37% of companies using AI replaced workers with technology in 2023, and that 44% layoffs were anticipated.

AI Requires Upskilling

The smart users, who want to adequately work with AI, need to acquire new skills. Learning new tricks can be challenging for some ‘old dogs.’

How reliable is artificial intelligence? 

Don’t count on what AI says is always true. AI is not always reliable – it can make mistakes, just like humans. It can malfunction or break down. This causes a big problem when it fails the workers who depend on it.

Collaboration 

AI can be a great boon to collaboration, but it can also alter how teams work together – often in subtle ways. For example, take virtual team meetings:

For Zoom users there is an ‘AI companion’ feature, which can help you catch up when you arrive late to a meeting. Teams has ‘Copilot’ which will help you summarize key discussion points. BUT: when you throw AI bots into human meetings, you will often find that these bots aren’t afraid of speaking up, and they don’t feel any embarrassment. Team members who feel they are being corrected by this ‘otherworldly team member’ can become reserved about speaking up.

The Harvard Business Review highlights this and other concerns about AI’s effects on team dynamics HERE.

Threat to privacy

Concerns about AI and privacy are well-founded because it requires a lot of data to function properly, some of which may include the personal details and work habits of humans. Few employees will feel indifferent to this type of data collection.

TrustCloud goes through these legitimate concerns item by item in their article 'Data privacy and AI: ethical considerations and best practices.'

There are also legal issues surrounding AI. There are questions about who owns the work created by AI. There are also concerns about AI making biased decisions.

The main areas where legal issues can become involved:
Intellectual Property Disputes
Personal Data Collection Consent
Liability in AI-Based Decision Making
Transparency and Explainability Requirements
Bias and Discrimination

The legalities concerning AI are rapidly moving targets which constantly evolve. This is a tricky area to keep abreast of.

Using AI safely

To keep yourself safe, exercise due diligence when using AI:

Check AI outputs carefully

Keep humans in charge of big decisions

Train workers to use AI well

Have clear rules for AI use

Stay up to date on AI laws