How do Businesses Balance Implementation of AI tools While Maintaining Authentic Human Connections?

Written by Scott Pickard

I attended a conference in San Francisco recently and one of the speakers was a high-level Visa executive and she spoke about how Visa has been using machine learning and variations of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for about three decades. It was interesting to hear her eloquently speak about the value it has brought to Visa and how it is used to protect card holders from fraud, among other business benefits. If you have ever received a text to call from a credit card company asking if you recently made a transaction, you will know how this is working in real time and the value it provides. Thousands of companies are using AI that you may or may not be aware of and the connection between the customer, company and software tools is forever evolving. Balancing the use of technology tools and the customer experience is not new. The art of integrating people and technology is what enables great outcomes.

As a business leader, how you balance the customer experience, manage your team, and implement software (AI) is a matter of your leadership style and company goals. Humans will continue to drive the relationships of business and the tools will continually evolve to drive execution. The art of this intercept is where businesses will flourish. Here are a few items to consider when pondering connecting the people of business with the business of business.

Clear communication – CLARITY is foundational for success. Whether you have one employee or one thousand, clarity in priorities is the only way to forward progress. An AI strategy is one tool for business and needs to align with the company mandates. Leadership needs to communicate this message clearly in a way that eliminates confusion from the team. AI does not replace culture. AI does not replace strategy. AI does not replace clear communication. Humans drive these core requirements.

Training and Upskilling – If you have heard that programmers’ jobs will be eliminated because of AI, do you believe it? Both technical and non-technical employees need to be upskilled to embrace AI. Programming jobs are not going to be eliminated any time soon, but they will change. More alarmingly, nontechnical jobs are going to be replaced with advanced tools and this is the area more job losses will be lost because of AI and other software tools. As a result, training should be an ongoing priority in business and the kinds of employees that will be extremely valuable in the future are those that are nimble in their thinking and embrace learning. Don’t stifle learning, encourage it.

Ethical AI practices – Visions, mission, KPI’s and goals are great on paper but unless leadership actively manages and leads, the words are meaningless. AI practices must be inline with the corporate identity and not implemented for the sake of doing it. Humans are more critical to business than tools, in almost every case. Remember what matters in your business. High ethical standards and integrity amongst people reign supreme in business.

Feedback loops – In order drive positive change, feedback is mandatory. Incorporating AI into practice requires close monitoring and course correction when outcomes do not match expectations. Humans are the intermediary on this and cannot be replaced. If AI were to take over, we don’t know where things would endup, good orbad.

People - “Set it and forget it” no longer applies. People need to drive the process for AI implementation and no other way will be successful. The most successful AI implementations should be seamless to the customer and leave them with a great experience. At minimum, the customer should not see any change in service level or frustrations with interactions with the customer.

Grading Leadership – What would your employees and/or team grade you for your overall leadership skills? Would this change with or without AI in the discussion? AI is a tool for enablement not to take over your company or to strike fear in employees about job security. Implementing an AI plan or strategy needs to align with corporate goals and initiatives and if leadership is not knowledgeable enough about how to do this, engage your team or outside experts. Leadership is about flexibility and enabling people and the path to AI enablement is no different. Don’t forego values and ideals because of the new shiny object that is AI. Remember that we have two ears and one mouth; listen more than you talk and be thoughtful in your approach and guidance from people smarter that may be more knowledgeable on this topic may be required. Be a leader.

New Business Models – There are leading companies that are creating new business models around AI and having great success. These models will not work for every business, nor will they work for certain industries. However, there can be lessons taken from these companies to investigate if your business can use different models for competitive advantage. A few examples are usage-based revenue enablement, customer monetization and embedded finance. A thorough understanding of your market and customer can unlock additional revenue streams for the right business.

Balancing the many facets of business, technology and human behaviour is complicated. Implementing AI for the benefit of the business and customer is not simple but the rewards can be game changing. Thoughtful planning, feedback and continuous learning can lead to great outcomes for all the people involved. Balance is the key.