Setting up Rules for Artificial Intelligence

The AI debate rages on, but there is no denying that Artificial Intelligence, whether Predictive or Generative, is a powerful tool that can enhance the productivity, efficiency, and creativity of your staff. AI also comes with some undeniable risks and challenges. Before they get ankle-deep in this technology, businesses need to address and manage these challenges to use AI effectively and avoid unnecessary risks.

As with any factor concerning business, Policies & Procedures (P&P) need to be in place. Setting clear and ethical guidelines, or ‘AI rules,’ for your staff interaction is essential. Without these rules, you may not know when AI is being used for business data. Employees may also be nervous about using AI without managerial direction. This can leave them missing out on incredible time savings.

64% of businesses expect AI to increase productivity.

Let’s examine some common-sense tips for setting up AI rules for your staff. These tips can help you harness the benefits of AI while avoiding the pitfalls. It is important to coordinate this effort with your IT support, whether an internal IT Services department or outsourced Managed Services Provider (MSP).

Define the purpose and scope of AI use.

You need to have a good understanding of AI and a clear vision for what you expect it to do before you introduce it to your staff. What do you want to achieve with AI? How will it align with your business goals and values?

Keep your employees ‘in the loop’ as to what your vision entails. It will help you set realistic expectations and avoid confusion or frustration if you explain how AI will support their work and improve their outcomes.

Establish ethical principles and guidelines.

Just as it does with society at large, AI can also have significant impacts on your staff, customers, and partners, so you need to ensure that your AI use is ethical, fair, transparent, and accountable. Developing a set of ethical principles and guidelines will help you achieve this. They should follow relevant laws and regulations and reflect your organizational culture and values. You also need to educate your staff on these guidelines and track and enforce their compliance.

Involve stakeholders in the decision-making process.

Don’t make your AI rule-setting a top-down process. The input from key stakeholders, including employees, will be invaluable in the decision-making process. Gather insights from different departments and roles. This will help ensure that AI rules are reflective of diverse perspectives. What management thinks is a piece of cake may be a crushing burden to some workers.

This collaborative approach enhances the quality of the rules. It also fosters a sense of ownership and engagement among staff members. Everybody likes to know that their voice matters.

Assign roles and responsibilities.

Deciding who does what is a fundamental early step in any process. AI is not a magic solution that can replace human judgment and oversight. You still need to have a clear division of roles and responsibilities – with accountability. This would be between your staff and the AI systems they use.

You need to define who handles the following AI system tasks:

Design

Development

Deployment

Maintenance

Auditing

Updating

You should also define who is accountable for the outcomes and impacts of AI use. Ensure that you support your staff with training, enablement, and change management.

Provide support and training.

By offering comprehensive training programs, you empower your staff with the skills and support necessary to work effectively alongside AI. They should cover the basics of AI technology and its applications within the organization and provide guidelines for AI interaction. Providing ongoing support ensures that employees feel confident and capable in their roles within an AI-enhanced environment.

Ensure data security and privacy.

AI typically relies on vast amounts of data. As such, emphasize robust data security and privacy measures. Clearly delineate the steps that need to be taken to safeguard sensitive information and enforce adherence to your data protection regulations. Establish a robust cybersecurity framework that protects both employee and organizational data from potential breaches.

Empower your staff by enabling a feedback loop.
Feedback from employees about their interactions with AI is crucial, so you should create a system for gathering their thoughts, experiences, and opinions. This feedback loop serves as a valuable mechanism for identifying areas of improvement and refining AI rules and addressing any concerns or challenges that arise during implementation. Actively listen to employee feedback to foster a culture of continuous improvement.

Review and update AI rules regularly.

This true for any category of rules, but especially with something as rapidly evolving as AI. As such, it requires constant adaptation and improvement. You cannot simply set up your AI rules once and forget about them. You need to review and update these rules continuously to ensure that they are still relevant, effective, and aligned with your business goals and values. You also need to evaluate the performance, outcomes, and impacts of your AI use. Use this information to adjust as needed.

Encourage a growth mindset.

With AI, as with every facet of your business, it’s wise to foster a culture of curiosity and a growth within your organization. Encourage employees to embrace AI as a tool for augmentation – not as a replacement. Communicate that AI is here to enhance their capabilities and streamline processes. It allows them to focus on more strategic and creative aspects of their roles.