Artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace is no longer a far-fledged, futuristic trend.
Companies are already using it to boost the productivity of employees, gather insights from mountains of raw data, and improve decision-making. But how could AI in the workplace impact the future of the corporate office — and what could that mean for your organization?
Using AI in the workplace isn’t about replacing employees. As a matter of fact, most roles aren’t becoming unnecessary, they’re just evolving as technology advances. And for many workers, being assisted by AI in the workplace will be a huge benefit.
AI in the workplace is about giving people a better workday.
You may be tempted to dismiss the tiring, the boring, and even the unpleasant parts of work. “It’s just part of the job.” But certain tasks take up a lot of time and energy, yet yield very little. Though hope may spring eternal, time and energy are finite resources. Still, they have to get done.
Those tasks — the ones that could be done automatically and don’t require the lens of creativity and expertise — can be outsourced to your in-office helper. Supplementing human work by leveraging AI in the workplace lets employees lead a more rewarding, successful, and fulfilling life while still completing all of the day’s tasks.
One of the major benefits of AI in the workplace is that this technology can be used to handle many of the mundane, repetitive tasks with ease — and without complaint. These technologies are helpful for freeing up time — or more accurately, letting employees reallocate their time. By taking the tedious processes off their hands, having AI in the workplace frees employees up to work on activities that drive more value for the company.
It also helps leaders create better workplace experiences based on employees’ needs and preferences.
After all, there’s nothing artificial about workplace intelligence. You can transform your data into insights that help shed light on what’s happening in your workplace. From there, it’s easier to identify any gaps that exist between that and your company goals and workforce needs. AI in the workplace begets strategic intelligence, helping businesses form understanding into results.
What are employees looking for? The sweet spot — making meaningful contributions to the organization, but with a healthy balance between productivity and well-being. A sense of purpose. Accomplishment. Appreciation.
If your goal is to improve performance from your workforce to benefit the company at large, adding AI in the workplace can help your employees and your company enjoy the benefits of time well-spent.
If you’re looking for a little inspiration, here are some of the best applications of AI in the workplace we’ve seen so far.
Because of their ability to decode spoken and written language using natural-language processing, chatbots are rapidly finding a home in the modern digital workplace.
Chatbots deliver better customer engagement, reduce error rates, and enable employees to deliver faster response times.
Many companies already use this form of AI in the workplace to enhance customer support services, but they could soon also become an essential tool for their employees. Chatbots can act as virtual team members, helping employees manage reminders, prioritize action items, and get help with simple IT tasks, such as submitting service requests or updating passwords.
They can even be used to help employees schedule meetings, based on their specific needs and preferences. In that way, chatbots are a great addition to the tech-assisted workplace. They’re a great example of AI in the workplace being used to create a tech-assisted experience.
Augmented reality (AR) bridges the gap between the virtual world and the physical one by using digital experiences to enhance interactions.
AR overlays the user’s vision with text, icons, and images, giving them access to the information they need to perform a task effectively. For instance, employees could be in a virtual meeting while zooming in on an interactive floor plan that appears in front of them. They could type on a virtual keyboard, eliminating the need to carry around a laptop.
When combined with AI in the workplace, augmented reality becomes even more powerful. Artificial intelligence could add another layer to AR, helping designers create more personalized augmented reality experiences based on data they gather about users’ preferences, according to Stefano Corazza, head of augmented reality at Adobe, in a recent blog post.
Artificial intelligence could “learn” how employees use AR to collaborate in virtual meetings, using their preferences to make the experience better for everyone.
The combination of AI and AR could also enhance workplace training by delivering a realistic, real-time, visual experience.
Commercial buildings waste as much as 30% of the energy they use, according to the US Department of Energy.
Many building owners have energy management programs or systems that monitor usage, but the recommendations they provide are often based on historical data, rather than real-time insights. Now, IoT sensors and AI are making energy management platforms smarter.
For instance, AI could help building owners anticipate peak energy usage. It can detect changes in temperature and humidity due to conditions such as weather and office density, providing a more comfortable environment for everyone.
Applying AI in the workplace can also boost operational efficiency. Many companies are looking for creative ways to use AI in the workplace to automate their building operations and generate reports and alerts. These technologies — referred to as AIOps — pave the way for enhanced operations and also improve all related and subsequent workflows. Because they involve using both historic and real-time operational intelligence, companies can achieve the levels of agility and scalability required to keep up in today’s fast-paced, ever-evolving workplace.
While it once seemed like a distant goal, the creative application of AI in the workplace is already underway. It’s true that some executives and employees are still a bit more reluctant to implement these new technologies, but an open discussion can help ease most of their concerns.
But where should you begin? Demonstrating the practical applications of artificial intelligence and covering the exact ways it can help remove friction from their workday is a good place to start.
Adopting AI in the workplace can allow companies and their employees to focus more of their time and energy on strategic priorities, such as improving the customer experience, boosting employee engagement, and solving complex business problems. Rather than replacing employees, it is a great tool for empowering them to collaborate and drive innovation by helping make data-driven decisions.
When it comes to introducing AI in the workplace, a gradual start is ideal. This is much easier if you can integrate AI-powered solutions with the technology you’re already using. Teem’s cloud-based workplace solutions are designed for seamless integration with sensors for real-time data. Artificial intelligence can help you make sense of this data to make it easier for employees to find a meeting room, reserve a desk, or get technical support.
It can also help you create a more intelligent and comfortable environment for them, especially as you reopen your offices or transition to a hybrid work model.
With so many new workplace technologies to scope, how do you know which solutions are worth your time and budget?
Check out our brand new buyer’s guide for helpful insights on what to consider as you evaluate workplace tech so you can connect and empower your most valuable resources. Download your copy.
