The uses and benefits of AI have grown on a steep incline for the last few years, but a concern is and always has been supporting and safeguarding those employees who are directly involved and impacted by AI.
There’s been a call for new legislation on AI to safeguard workers’ rights, seen most notably in the entertainment industry, with writers and actors going on strikes (partially due to the changes made to the industry because of AI but also because they’re not paid a living wage for producing record breaking media).
What role does HR play in AI?
HR plays a key role in supporting and safeguarding against the risks arising from AI, including ensuring all employees are aware of the organisation's approach to the use of AI and the rules that are in place already. As AI tools such as ChatGPT are freely available, employers are morally required to ensure:
Personal data is not fed into AI Chatbots
Confidential information is not fed into AI Chatbots
Human review of AI output, including sensitivity reads for bias or discrimination
To this last point, employers should ensure employees are trained in the potential discrimination from AI outputs, and how to avoid this.
Is AI discriminatory?
As AI tools are created, the biases of its human creators are reflected within them, even if unintentionally. AI bias has been proven to impact historically oppressed communities with the same level of discrimination, with facial recognition software having a long history of failing to recognise Black faces (Sigal Samual, 2019), for example.
What is the future of AI in HR?
The focus moving forward will be avoiding sacrificing managerial methods over advancing technology, but ensuring supportive, innovative practices throughout the company. And if your company doesn’t have an HR department to recruit, evaluate and motivate, AI could seem like an easy answer – but overall, management cannot be detached from its context. AI can sift through thousands of recruitment applications, but an HR consultant will understand the dynamic of a team better than a computer can be trained to.
If you’re looking to implement or accelerate your business’s use of AI, but want to safeguard the staff you already have, contact SWan HR today for a consultation.
SWan HR Consultancy (London and Kent)
SWan HR is an HR consultancy that specialises in HR support for small to medium sized businesses in the South East.
"Where HR Succeeds, the Business Achieves"
SWan HR was founded by Susan Wakelin, MCIPD, who is a qualified HR professional with over thirty years' experience, from setting up, auditing and improving HR functions to management coaching and supporting organisations through difficult situations, transformation and change.
SWan HR provides a broad range of tailored HR services including an HR audit, HR advice, HR outsourcing, HR coaching and project work for all businesses.
Free HR consultation
Contact Susan Wakelin now to take advantage of a free half-hour consultation to talk through your initial HR concerns and how you can manage these going forward.
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