A knife in the hand of a surgeon saves lives, but in the hand of a murderer it kills. The knife is neither good nor bad; its use and impact are determined by the hand that holds it.

The same can be said for any tool and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a tool. A very powerful tool, but still a tool. This may be a very simplified view of a more complex invention, but the principle remains true.

The greatest tool is the mind that wields it – Leonardo Da Vinci

The AI wave

There is no question that AI has taken the world by storm. Opinions are plenty and you can find research to back your opinion; whatever that opinion is. The truth has become even more dependent on your perspective.

One of those opinions, backed by research, is that AI is increasing productivity and we can do more in less time than ever before. But what happens in the average workplace? How is AI impacting productivity on a practical level?

To look at the practical impact we need to understand what productivity and AI means for this discussion. Productivity in the workplace can be defined as the efficiency and effectiveness with which employees complete their assigned tasks and contribute to organizational goals. Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace refers to the use of advanced technologies to automate tasks, enhance productivity, and support decision-making across various industries.

Productivity and AI

All business owners and managers will agree that employees spend too much time daily on repetitive and time-consuming tasks. Tasks that are necessary but that don’t add significant value. The more time employees spend on low-value tasks the less time they have available spend on strategic and creative work.

AI enables the automation of repetitive tasks so employees can focus on more value adding and impactful responsibilities. The main benefits of using AI for these tasks can be categorized into two types:

• Operational benefits: Reducing time and cost spent on low-value tasks. Thus, improving efficiency.
• Strategic benefits: Strengthening innovation and the ability to differentiate and scale the business. Thus, increased creativity.

While AI can improve productivity significantly, it requires identifying and implementing automation to the right tasks. You need to evaluate the frequency and value of tasks. Frequency refers to how long a task takes and how often does it occur. The value of a task refers to the benefit of completing the task accurately versus the risk of getting it wrong.

• Low-value, high-frequency tasks are perfect for full automation. These tasks have small efficiencies that add up with low risk involved.
• High-value, low-frequency tasks can be automated but will require human oversight due to the high risk involved in these tasks.
• High-value, high-frequency tasks can be automated by using AI to assist, but the high risks need human involvement.

To gain the benefit of increased productivity the implementation of AI automations requires planning. Planning helps you avoid over-automation and risks from a lack of oversight. Some tasks will always need human judgement.

Wellbeing

While the benefits of higher productivity by using AI is evident, it appears that over time AI tools don’t reduce work, the tools intensify it. Consistently. Employees are now working at a faster pace, taking on tasks outside of their roles and working extended hours. Though this sounds like any business owner or manager’s dream this leads to unintended consequences.

These changes are unsustainable. Instead of using the time gained by AI automations to focus on strategic work or creative ideas; employees are taking on tasks outside their domain or expertise. Tasks that previously would have been deferred (Important but not urgent), outsourced or avoided (not important or urgent). This workload creep leads to extended work hours and creates new risks, uncertainty and inefficiency.

The use of AI tools has also encouraged and increased multi-tasking. Switching the employees’ attention between AI outputs and thus having more open tasks. This feels like constant juggling and leads to cognitive fatigue, burnout and impaired decision-making.

All of these have a negative impact on overall wellbeing.

Process

The higher productivity that is gained from the use of AI initially can be followed by lower quality work, absenteeism, employee turnover and other problems.

Higher productivity has the expectation of being able to handle more tasks. But what those tasks entail need to be agreed, otherwise you end up with workloads that exceed those prior to the use of these tools.

You need a structured process.

Here are some things to consider when starting a process to use AI tools:

• Ensure that business policies and technical infrastructure support the secure use of AI tools.
• Identify the core team to design, plan, implement and monitor the use of AI tools.
• Identify the tasks and type of tasks you want/need to automate.
• Define the results and impact aimed for.
• Agree on what productivity gain will be spent on.
• Include intentional pauses in the process to assess alignment, progress, results and next steps.
• Monitor and review results continuously.

The use of AI tools to increase productivity and the impact on wellbeing will require more communication and connection within our businesses and teams.

Conclusion

The use of AI tools to increase productivity needs to be designed and planned strategically; executed with clear boundaries and goals in mind; and results that are communicated and monitored constantly. If not, new problems will negate positive results.

“The best tools are the ones that disappear when you use them.” – Chris Bathgate

The most effective tools integrate seamlessly into the work process, allowing focus on the task rather than the instrument.

At wauperform we believe in building performance management from the business to the workforce, to have sustainable growth. We will gladly assist you with the process. Contact Rici van Schalkwyk on 021 819 7817 or at rvanschalkwyk@wauko.com to learn more.