How to Ensure Ethical Use of AI in the Workplace
In a previous article, I attempted to list some trends that will characterize areas such as executive search or HR in 2024.
Here, I will delve deeper into what concerns HR, starting with a little digression on semantics. And the term “Human Resources”. Nothing irritates me more than this term (just like “human capital”). The words “resources” or “capital” make me think of cattle more than anything else. From there, imagining these cattle in an enclosure (an open space) until retirement is a small step I do not want to cross. We are not in China. I prefer to use, as a friend of mine rightly does, “human riches”. After all, what are a company’s employees if they are not riches?
And why do I begin with this question of semantics?
Because it’s with this notion of riches in mind I believe we need to use AI. Especially in HR. And why is that? Because the primary role of HR managers is to create a work environment where every employee feels valued, respected, and fulfilled. Otherwise, the employee will not feel motivated, and a lack of motivation means a lack of performance in the company.
And AI in all this?
The arrival of AI in our lives has been brutal. That’s an understatement. Just as the Internet took time to creep into our lives, AI took only a few months to disrupt everything.
That’s why we must be careful not to use it indiscriminately because the temptation is great to use it to brutally replace everyone.
Here are some ways to ensure that the use of AI in HR does not stray from its primary mission.
1. Humanize AI: This means designing and using AI not as a replacement for human interactions, but as a tool that enriches and improves understanding of employees’ needs and aspirations. How? Some examples:
- In automated hiring systems, AI could be programmed to assess technical and personality traits and social skills critical to successful team integration.
- Employee feedback: Virtual assistants with natural language understanding could be designed to help answer employee questions, provide constructive feedback, or even detect signs of emotional distress, while referring more complex cases to human managers instead of bots.
- Personalization: AI could be used to provide personalized work experiences or training. For example, by analyzing individual training preferences and suggesting personalized development paths, AI could contribute to professional and personal fulfilment.
2. Ethics and Transparency: Decisions made by AI must be transparent, fair, and free of bias to ensure the respect and dignity of all employees. How? This is a little more complicated.
For example, by conducting regular audits of the AI deployed in the organization and examining how AI systems collect, store, process, and use employee data. Or by involving employees in the development and deployment of the tool. Gathering their feedback and concerns can help guide AI ethically and responsibly.
Conclusion
AI needs to be handled with care. Especially in HR. Managers must ensure that this tool (because it is a tool first and foremost) does not become a replacement for their employees. I can hear some people saying: “You’re dreaming, Pat! Every business leader in the world will jump at the chance to cut staff and replace them with robots if they can, because that’s what the competition will do (and is doing)”.
I’m not saying there won’t be collateral damage, I’m not that naive. I’m just saying that it’s the responsibility of HR managers to ensure that the transition from operational systems to AI happens with as little disruption as possible. By embracing AI in this way, HR will not only improve efficiency and accuracy but also enrich the human experience at the heart of the organization.