How do you approach establishing best practices for using AI in your business? What tasks and assignments do you want your employees to automate and explore with AI? What shouldn’t they use AI to do? These are all ethical questions that every business should think about for both new hires and existing employees.
“AI will be an integral part of solving the world’s biggest problems, but it must be developed in a way that reflects human values,” says Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft.
If AI can streamline processes that is wonderful, but if a human is using it in an unethical way, for instance, using an AI bot to stand in for them in your company Zoom meeting, that might be something you need to outline in your handbook. On the other hand if the employee got everything they needed from the meeting with a meeting summary, did it really need to be a meeting in the first place?
In this blog ClarityHR is going to set the framework for thinking about how you want to establish best practices for your business.
How Many Employees Are Already Using AI?
According to a poll by Gallup, “twenty-seven percent of white-collar employees report frequently using AI at work, an increase of 12 percentage points since 2024. The industries with the highest percentages of frequent AI users include technology (50%), professional services (34%) and finance (32%).”
This trend is not going away, in fact, it is going to be growing exponentially over the next decade. Embracing AI as part of your company’s processes will continue to be important for every business. Using it the right way should be a priority.
AI Policies and Guidelines Should Probably Be Part of Your Employee Handbook
Today it is important to establish clear policies on when, how, and why AI is used by your team. For instance, if your company offers an HR bot to manage questions about employee handbook things or complaints against another employee, it probably needs to be disclosed on who sees the chats.
Another consideration is how the work is completed. Can your team leverage AI for automating tasks? What tasks? Do you have a process to check the standards of the work performed? All of these elements make working with AI invigorating for businesses but also open a Pandora box of ethics for some tasks and assignments.
Your handbook is going to change and shift as AI continues to evolve. Today it is important to define ethical standards for the uses of artificial intelligence.
AI and Ethics for Business Use
Your business should develop an internal AI ethics policy. This will help to guide responsible use and set guardrails for your team using AI. You may need to also post this in in your handbook as many employees at remote positions are testing out using AI generated avatars to stand in for them in some virtual meetings and software to take dictation and notes.
Ethically, we need to set expectations for employees as technology progresses. If AI allows your team to be more efficient, then everyone wins. If AI is being used by your team in a way that you find unethical, you need to have a plan.
Can Your Business Foster Innovation and Collaboration with AI?
There is an old saying “start small, think big.” This concept applies to incorporating AI into your business. Start with pilot processes. Evaluate AI automation on small tasks and assignments for your team.
One Example:
Use a note taking tool for meetings like Otter.ai, Microsoft OneNote, or LOOM. This ensures that everyone on your team can focus on the meeting, and they all get the notes when the meeting concludes. This simple automation can help make your meetings more efficient.
The key is to show the value AI can bring to your team. That does not mean you have to jump ship completely on your traditional processes. However, if you can find ways to get more out of your existing resources everyone wins.
What AI Makes Sense for Your Business
As we continue down the path of innovation for AI this will continue to be more of a part of our daily lives. You cannot put the Gennie back in the bottle. The key is to create a plan that makes sense for your business. Here are a few things you can implement today for your business.
Manage Change Effectively
- Prepare for disruption: Anticipate how AI will impact workflows, roles, and responsibilities. Consider retraining your existing team with new skills.
- Engage employees early: Address concerns and involve them in AI adoption to reduce resistance with training.
- Upskill workforce: Provide training to help employees adapt to new AI-powered tools. We have an entire blog about this you can read HERE.
- Partner with AI Experts: Build relationships with your trusted technology providers that specialize in helping businesses implement AI into their workflows.
- Adapt: Change is inevitable. Your goal as a business owner is to find ways to keep up with the ever-changing dynamics of what you can do with AI. Expertise in AI technology is essential for deciding when to adopt new tools or create best practices for their use.
- Performance Matters: We are quick to adapt, but often with AI we have buyer’s remorse for tools we might not get the most use out of. It is important to research first, buy second. If it isn’t adding to your bottom line, do not buy into a platform because of FOMO (fear of missing out.)
How Can ClarityHR Help You with AI For Business?
Artificial intelligence offers transformative potential for businesses of all sizes. Through AI you can leverage your entire team by enabling improved efficiency, cost reduction, enhanced decision-making, and innovation. AI can empower businesses to scale operations and improve customer experience. However, to fully realize these benefits, it is essential to approach AI implementation strategically. It is also important to establish company policies and best practices to keep AI aligned with your business goals.
Sometimes you just need business partners to talk through big decisions. Choosing when and how to implement AI is an important one. With a well-thought-out plan and collaboration between technology and people, businesses can harness AI to drive sustainable growth and innovation. Let us help you explore your options with AI. Contact us today to get started.