How communicators can help employees make sense of AI at work

Comms pros own important tasks like sharing AI policies with workers.

Artificial intelligence’s rapid rise has sparked conversations about how the technology stands to alter the reality of the workplace. A recent study out of the United Kingdom reported that while there’s optimism about how AI technology can help in the workplace, the quick onset of AI implementation is proving a bit overwhelming for some employees.

The report, a joint effort between The World of Work Institute and The Henley Business School at The University of Reading, found that 56% of employees felt optimistic about AI applications at work. At the same time, 61% of employees felt overwhelmed at the pace of change and the implications AI might have on work as a whole.

Additionally, 63% of survey respondents reported using AI at work currently — a figure that’s poised to increase in the months and years ahead.

AI isn’t just changing the work landscape — it’s changing how employees think about their relationships with work. Internal communicators stand to play a major role in how their employees see AI factoring into their jobs and how they feel about AI’s relationship with their organizations.

Communicating about employee AI sentiment

The report also revealed the emotions that the rise of AI elicits from employees. Just over a quarter of employees reported feeling cautious about AI use at work, while another 23% were curious about how it might fit in.

In any organization, there are bound to be differing feelings about AI implementation among different groups of employees. That’s why communicators need to reaffirm the importance of the jobs their employees do through frequent and visible messaging channels.

For example, internal communicators could intersperse their AI-centric messaging to employees with use cases of how colleagues are interacting with the technology on the job. This not only helps make AI usage more tangible for people when it’s seen in action, but it also shows the value of human input behind the tech. That people-centric angle helps build trust and familiarity.

The importance of AI guidelines for a positive, productive relationship with tech

While it might be encouraging to see that a good chunk of employees in today’s workforce feel good about what lies ahead with AI, it’s important to note that we’re still in the earliest stages of a major technological shift. The data bears this out — the report stated that 49% of respondents said their companies had no AI guidelines in place. In addition, 60% said they’d be more willing to embrace AI with the proper training.

When asked about their frustrations with AI, the report said the following sentiments came up the most frequently:

• AI can make mistakes
• AI needs very reliable data to work effectively
• AI might eventually take jobs away from employees

These uncertainties can’t necessarily be solved by better employee communications. But employee communicators can work with leadership to share messaging surrounding AI policies and guidelines when they’re implemented.

In a piece ahead of Ragan’s AI Horizons Conference this February, Brian Solis, head of global innovation at ServiceNow outlined some overarching concepts for discussing AI guardrails communicators should keep in mind.

• Communicators should get leaders involved in the process of AI implementation – and it should be transparent. Solis said that organizations and comms pros who take the lead on forming AI comms principles will blaze the trail forward. “Those who lean into AI early — experimenting with its potential and guiding its ethical implementation — will shape the future of corporate messaging.”
• Lead with trust. Trust is at the core of effective internal comms. The same needs to be true of any potential AI guidelines that are communicated. For instance, communicators should lean into the fact that in many cases, humans still have the final say over AI tech at work. This can help foster trust in the skills and well-earned positions that employees hold.
• Position comms as an AI guide and resource. Communicators should relay any potential AI guidelines with messaging that aligns with a company’s existing culture. For example. Comms pros should use wording and channels that employees will find familiar and as part of a continuum of existing comms efforts. Doing so can help establish comms as both an important employee resource and a critical business function. “When you take charge of the AI narrative, you move from being a messenger to being a strategist,” Solis said.

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications. In his spare time he enjoys Philly sports and hosting trivia.

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