Fight your fear of AI: How bots can boost your business

Employees may be harboring fears that they'll soon be replaced by robots and other space-age tech, but these new tools can actually help, more than hurt. 

New grads in particular are concerned about automation in the workplace, as 46% feel threatened by the growth of AI, according to a study by edtech company Cengage Group. However, the right training and upskilling can help new employees use these tools to their advantage, and employers should be taking the initiative to get them up to speed. 

"Our perspective is that new grads won't lose their jobs to AI, but may to someone who knows how to use AI," says Rya Conrad-Bradshaw, vice president of corporate markets at Cengage Work. "Employers should continue investing in upskilling initiatives that help current and potential employees feel prepared for the workforce and keep up with changing technology — including AI." 

Read more about how to get your newest employees trained on tech: Why new graduates are afraid of AI

To recruit the right people, employers are relying on artificial intelligence to narrow down their applicant pool, but like humans, AI can come with biases built into their systems. To prevent this, New York City's new AI law, otherwise called Local Law 144, wants to hold employers accountable, and requires employers to audit their automated employment decision tools, or AEDTs, each year for any possible biases they bring to the hiring process. 

Read more about what your organization should do to remain compliant: Why employers shouldn't fear NYC's new AI law 

Once employees are hired, employers need the right internal communications strategies. However, more isn't always better: 38% of employees and managers feel bombarded by excessive, confusing memos, according to research from Gartner. This is another place where artificial intelligence could make the process smoother.  

"Most companies don't even track the open rates of their all-hands, which are important communications with their staff about benefits or initiatives on strategy and vision," says Roy Schwartz, co-founder and president of Axios HQ, an AI-powered software that helps organizations manage their essential communications. "Are people actually understanding it? Are they able to absorb it? Did they read it? All of those things are not being measured right now."

Read more on the best workplace communication strategies: Why no one is reading your company-wide emails — and how AI can help

Once employees are opening their emails or communicating via tech tools, it's important they know what they're talking about. With the increased use of workplace jargon, intranet platform Haystack created a Glossary tool that decodes and defines workplace-specific terms, acronyms and buzzwords. 

"Because we're all now using our computers, every keystroke matters, and humans want to figure out the most efficient way to communicate," says Cameron Lindsay, CEO of Haystack. "It also can be very exclusionary and can create this sort of barrier to entry." 

Read more about using tech to get employees on the same page: New tech tool aims to decode workplace jargon