The use of Artificial Intelligence tools has exploded over the last few years. From popular generative AI such as ChatGPT to Google “AI Overview” debuting in search results, AI has become a daily tool for some. Because AI is so accessible and easy to use, many rely on it for research, writing, school, work, and personal searches. Having an answer to a prompt in seconds instead of taking minutes or even hours to research a topic is revolutionary. These tools can increase efficiency, productivity, and decision-making in the workplace. However, there are precautions that must be considered when using AI:

1. Incomplete Information. Initial AI results provide a general overview of the prompt given and do not provide enough information to form a complete understanding from one prompt. Employees must seek out additional information to gain a complete understanding of the prompt given to the AI tool.
2. Potential Data Privacy Concerns. There are concerns about the confidentiality of data that is collected and stored by AI algorithms. Employees must be cautious about entering sensitive company information into AI tools.
3. Loss of Human Influence. When AI tools are used in place of human creativity and intelligence such as writing or problem solving, the results produced may lack emotional intelligence or real-world context that AI cannot provide.
4. Environmental Impact. AI data centers used to train and run deep learning models require massive amounts of electricity; estimated to be 7-8 times more energy than a typical computing workload. AI hardware also requires large amounts of water to cool the hardware used for AI models (MIT News).

Artificial Intelligence is a big part of our world and will continue to grow and develop in years to come. There are certain advantages to utilizing AI tools in the workplace, but employers must be aware of the potential risks of utilizing AI tools in their organization.

If you would like to learn more about AI in the workplace or start the process of a written policy surrounding Artificial Intelligence, reach out to The Employer Group!

 

 

This information does not constitute legal advice.