How to Implement AI Into Your Business Ethically
Crash Course in Positive AI Integration
Did you know that 35% of businesses are already using artificial intelligence and that over 92% of them have experienced measurable results? It’s clear that AI has the ability to elevate many businesses, but as more companies seek to adopt the technology, ethical concerns inevitably arise.
In this article, we explore the benefits and challenges surrounding artificial intelligence, along with how you can ethically implement it into your business. Keep reading to learn more.
How Can Businesses Benefit From Implementing AI?
Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing nearly every industry and providing businesses with unique benefits. In the wine industry, for example, AI is helping to identify high-quality grapes, while NASA is using the technology to navigate the stars.
However, there are several more general ways in which everyday businesses can benefit from artificial intelligence, many of which could potentially change the face of various industries. This includes the following.
Increased Efficiency: Using artificial intelligence, businesses can automate time-consuming tasks and processes. For instance, long-winded and dull data entry tasks that would typically take an administrator hours can be completed by AI in mere minutes.
Reduced Labor Overtime Costs: With so many tasks to complete, it’s not uncommon for employees to have to work overtime, frantically trying to balance administrative tasks with more essential operations. Thanks to AI automation, businesses can reduce overtime costs by leveraging AI to handle low-priority tasks. This means employees do not need to work overtime to accomplish all their day-to-day tasks.
More Accurate Data Processing: Try as we might, humans are prone to making mistakes, especially when analyzing large swaths of data. AI solves this problem by following a strict set of rules that allow it to accurately identify patterns and correlations in data with fewer oversights than humans.
Faster Research and Reporting: AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude.ai can be used to gather research in a way that search engines cannot. Instead of having to sift through a variety of web pages, you can simply ask AI to retrieve the information you need. Once that information is gathered, AI can then create a report based on any additional data you may provide.
What Challenges Surround Artificial Intelligence?
Of course, as this is a discussion about the ethics of AI use in business, we need to take a moment to explore the challenges surrounding AI.
Job Losses: Whether you love or loathe AI, the fact remains that jobs are being replaced by the technology. In fact, almost 4,000 jobs were lost as a result of artificial intelligence in May alone. Perhaps this number isn’t as high as you expected, but according to investment bank Goldman Sachs, more than 300 million jobs will likely be replaced by AI. When this will happen, however, is still unclear.
Reduced Creativity: There are two sides to this coin–some believe that AI is providing more opportunities to be creative, while others say it’s making us less creative. As fallible humans, often choosing the easy solution, even if it’s not the best, it’s not hard to understand the latter. Plus, with AI having the capability to generate articles, art, and video, it’s extremely probable that the technology could encourage some individuals to think less.
Plagiarism: Because AI generates responses using information taken from online sources, there’s a good chance that some of this information may not have been scraped with the expressed permission of copyright holders. As a result, if an AI generator returns a response that includes unreferenced extracts from copyrighted material, businesses could face plagiarism charges if using the content.
Inaccurate Responses: Hallucinations are also possible, in which artificial intelligence models confidently return responses that sound true but are, in fact, false. As many AI models still fail to reference their information, it’s easy to fall victim to AI hallucinations and mistakenly take their responses as accurate.
While some might argue that the significant challenges surrounding AI outweigh or, at least, match the advantages of the technology, there’s no need to be discouraged. With proper management, AI can be a boon to your business, streamlining processes and enhancing your overall operations.
What Concerns Might Employees Have and How Should They Be Addressed?
It’s likely that the primary concern of your employees is the possibility of their jobs being replaced by artificial intelligence, especially as you find yourself optimizing your business with AI. However, replacing human workers with artificial intelligence serves to amplify the above-listed challenges and, though you could replace workers with AI, it’s not always the best choice.
Instead, supplementing the work of your employees with artificial intelligence is the better option, giving the best of both worlds and retaining the human element of your business.
Another top concern of your employees will be using AI and interacting with the technology–specifically for those with limited technical skills. In both cases, it’s imperative that you offer training programs and reassure your employees that their jobs are safe.
Ultimately, the more familiar your employees become with artificial intelligence, the more likely they are to notice its advantages and understand how it can benefit their working day as well as your business.
What Measures Can Businesses Take to Ensure Ethical AI Use?
So, how can you mitigate employee concerns and integrate artificial intelligence into your business ethically? Here are a few ways to consider.
Company AI Guidelines: Setting out clear company guidelines on AI usage is an excellent first step in positively implementing the technology into your business. For this, you’ll want to outline how your company plans to use AI, where employees can voice concerns, and provide clear details related to when and when not to use AI in business work.
Data Transparency: Creating a transparent data policy surrounding your AI usage is imperative, so that employees know their information is safe. This is also important when dealing with customers, as there are many regulations regarding the use of customer data in business. In other words, it’s crucial that you ensure information fed to AI is secure and both customers and employees know how their data is being used.
Mechanisms for Reporting: If your employees have problems with the nature of your AI implementation or struggle to use the technology, it’s critical that they have a clear line of communication to report their issues. This can be as simple as implementing an open-door policy wherein employees can email managers and have their concerns heard.
Training Programs: Offering training programs to help employees get better acquainted with AIis an effective way of ensuring they see the benefits of the technology. Because people tend to fear what they don’t understand, giving employees the opportunity to learn more about how to use artificial intelligence is a brilliant idea.
Overall, implementing artificial intelligence into your business without issue is nearly impossible–there will always be bumps in the road. However, by following the above tips, your transition into an AI-driven company will be much smoother.
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AI Business Report is brought to you by Californian development agency, Idea Maker.