Generative AI in Professional Communication
Strategies for “Human in the Loop” Workflows
Generative AI in the Professional Communication | Slideshow
Imagine having an intelligent assistant that can help you with research, writing, creative brainstorming, and more—how much value can you derive from that? Generative AI tools offer this incredible potential. However, to harness its power effectively, you need the right skills and strategies.
The Promise of Generative AI
Emerging studies are demonstrating the impact of generative AI on professional communication and knowledge work, especially within a "human-in-the-loop" framework:
Productivity gains: A recent study found that AI assistants can increase productivity by an average of 14%, particularly for novice and low-skilled workers (Brynjolfsson et al., 2023).
Flattening the learning curve: Generative AI disseminates expertise and helps less experienced workers progress faster, bridging performance gaps (Brynjolfsson et al., 2023).
Enhanced creativity and problem-solving: Professionals can brainstorm, get different perspectives, and explore new ideas more easily with generative AI tools (Cardon et al., 2023).
The Dangers of Overreliance
While the potential benefits are significant, studies also highlight limitations of generative AI. Blindly trusting its outputs can lead to errors, ethical breaches, and performance decline. Here's what professionals should keep in mind:
Accuracy issues: Generative AI can produce incorrect or misleading information, especially for complex tasks (Noy et al. 2023).
The risk of overconfidence: Experienced and less experienced workers may struggle to evaluate AI outputs critically, sometimes overestimating its capabilities (Dell’Acqua et al., 2023; Otis et al., 2023).
How to Thrive with Generative AI
To harness the full potential of generative AI, organizations need a smart, human-centered strategy for implementation and skill development. Here's how to create a thriving environment for integrating generative AI into your work:
Gen AI Innovation Strategy
Learning and development: Use generative AI to discover and share best practices, helping employees learn from your organization's collective expertise. Generative AI can also document nuanced evaluation methods, making those processes more efficient and transferrable.
Collaboration and innovation: Facilitate collaborative brainstorming with generative AI tools to get new perspectives for solving problems and exploring fresh ideas. Use AI-powered design thinking tools to enhance communication and speed up the prototyping process.
Human-in-the-Loop Innovation
Identify GAI superusers: Cultivate power users and subject matter experts who can champion generative AI across the organization, leading experimentation, and mentoring others.
Facilitate creative collaboration: Bring together diverse teams for AI-powered brainstorming sessions. This unlocks creativity and ensures solutions reflect the full input of your organization.
Develop SOPs and custom prompts: Create clear guidelines, workflows, and even custom generative AI tools that align with your organization's goals, values, and quality standards.
Utilize L&D to promote adoption: Invest in training and professional development on generative AI skills, prompt engineering, and ethical considerations. This ensures employees can use generative AI responsibly and with maximum benefit.
Let's Talk Transformation
Generative AI is changing the way we work. By adopting these strategies and investing in your teams, you'll create an environment of innovation and continuous improvement. This will position your organization at the forefront of productivity enhancements and problem-solving powered by artificial intelligence.
Questions or comments? Share below!
References
Brynjolfsson, E., Li, D., & Raymond, L. R. (2023). Generative AI at Work (NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES). NATIONAL BUREAU OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH. http://www.nber.org/papers/w31161
Cardon, P., Fleischmann, C., Logemann, M., Heidewald, J., Aritz, J., & Swartz, S. (2023). Competencies Needed by Business Professionals in the AI Age: Character and Communication Lead the Way. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 23294906231208166. https://doi.org/10.1177/23294906231208166
Dell’Acqua, F., McFowland, E., Mollick, E. R., Lifshitz-Assaf, H., Kellogg, K., Rajendran, S., Krayer, L., Candelon, F., & Lakhani, K. R. (2023). Navigating the Jagged Technological Frontier: Field Experimental Evidence of the Effects of AI on Knowledge Worker Productivity and Quality (SSRN Scholarly Paper 4573321). https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4573321
Noy, S., & Zhang, W. (2023). Experimental Evidence on the Productivity Effects of Generative Artificial Intelligence. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4375283
Otis, N. G., Haas, B., Clarke, R., & Koning, R. (2023). The Uneven Impact of Generative AI on Entrepreneurial Performance. https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/24-042_9ebd2f26-e292-404c-b858-3e883f0e11c0.pdf