The week's developments on automation & the workplace, explained | 27.05.24

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It's been more than a year since ChatGPT first made waves in the tech scene, and while the AI chatbot has stealthily risen in the workplace — particularly among the younger crowd — many companies are still navigating the best ways to weave this technology into their everyday operations. But do they really know how employees are using the technology? We take a look at this below.

Also in focus this week, we cover why recruiters are going back to basics to sift through the surge of AI applications, how productivity is soaring in sectors most exposed to AI and the No. 1 skill you need to stay relevant in an AI driven workplace.

Find these stories and more below — including our productivity booster to help you excel in the AI-driven workplace.

— Charlie and the Research and Intelligence team

P.S You are now able to sign up for the super early bird offer (75% off) to the CogX AI Summit in London on October 7thhere.

CogX Must Reads

Top Stories

👨🏻‍💻 What companies don’t know about how workers use AI: Businesses are rushing to adopt AI, but a huge knowledge gap is creating a trust crisis. Here's the shocker: nearly half (44%) of company leaders have no idea how often their employees use AI tools.

• This lack of understanding is driving a wedge between leaders and employees. On the ground, most employees rarely use AI (7 in 10), but when they do, it's for practical purposes like routine tasks (4 in 10) and learning new things (3 in 10).

🤖 Productivity soars in sectors of the global economy most exposed to AI:  A new PwC study reveals a nearly 5x increase in productivity for industries embracing AI. Jobs requiring AI skills are growing rapidly, with employers offering hefty wage premiums to attract top talent.

• AI skills fetch a hefty premium: Employers in UK, one of 15 countries studied, are willing to pay 14% wage premium for jobs requiring AI skills, globally its 25%.

💼 Will AI usher in an era of inefficiency in recruiting?  For talent acquisition expert John Vlastelica, AI could prove to be a double-edged sword in recruitment. He said that AI’s mass adoption by job candidates will require recruiters to go old school and “move away from traditional efficiency-focused recruiting practices”.

Future of the Office

💸 Why less work for the same pay won’t fly with small and mid-sized businesses: They're busy, understaffed, and can't afford to pay the same for less work – but that doesn't mean they can't compete in attracting and retaining talent. Offering flexible work schedules can be a creative solution.

🚗 Would you work from a car office? Ford patents show dashboards turning into desks and electric vehicle "froots" (front boots) becoming entertainment centres or even mobile tool stations.

AI & Automation

🏃‍♂️A relentless drive to be first in the "AI rat race" is leading to burnout, frustration, and even ethical concerns. Many AI engineers report feeling like they are just building products to keep up with rivals, rather than solving actual problems.

👥The AI-Generated Population Is Here, and They’re Ready to Work. AI can not only predict how you'd look in a new outfit, but also how you might react to a product or even how a disease might progress in your body. This has led to the rise of a new kind of worker: the digital AI twin.

🧠 The No. 1 skill you need to stay relevant in the age of AI:  Forget job replacement by robots, the real threat is being outperformed by someone who can use AI effectively. So it's no surprise that many companies are willing to pay premiums for employees that have mastered communication with AI tools like ChatGPT.

🤖 Making AI Work For Companies And Employees. Financial firms are pouring money into AI, but there's a gap. While the tech is getting built, most companies lack plans to train their workforce on how to use it.

Productivity Boosters

 Check out this week's top AI tools to supercharge your productivity

	Happily.ai is an AI-driven platform that enhances workplace engagement, recognition, and performance management through real-time insights, pulse surveys and tools for continuous feedback and culture fit hiring.   Key Features: AI-driven workplace engagement platform. Real-time insights and analytics. Pulse surveys for employee feedback.                                             Pricing Model: Paid
	Omnifact is a privacy-first generative AI platform that empowers businesses to securely leverage AI for enhanced productivity, knowledge management, and innovation, with flexible deployment options and a choice of language models.   Key Features: Privacy-first generative AI platform Enhances productivity in the workplace Knowledge management platform                                                      Pricing Model: Paid
	UI Bakery is a low-code platform to create functional and data-driven web applications from a simple text-prompt detailing desired functions.   Key Features: AI-enabled rapid web app development  Generates business intelligence dashboards and   manages client interfaces Facilitates conversational searches without SQL expertise                                                   Pricing Model: Freemium

In case you missed it

Drive-Thru AI chatbot vs human fast-food worker… The new job to be automated?

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