Operations Manager Pia has three to five tabs of generative AI tools open on her laptop at any given moment. She believes the use of these tools has made her more efficient and productive at her job. But when it’s time for her review, she’s shocked: Her reporting manager has given her a low rating on critical thinking skills.
Pia finds it deeply unfair.
The manager’s feedback? “A lot of free-to-use generative AI tools right now leverage machine learning. And that’s great. But Pia tends to use them to complete most of her tasks, including those that demand breaking the pattern… evaluating things from a place of emotional intelligence… identifying underlying biases or threats…. and so on. Machine learning does not equate to human thinking or for that matter, even machine thinking.”
As Pia works through her feedback, many of us are wondering about these same issues. How can we use AI tools to power our productivity without sacrificing our human innovation, creativity, and critical thinking?
Loss of thought
The employee-manager gap isn’t an isolated one. Across companies, managers are fast losing even their top talent’s critical thinking skills to AI. This is owing to several reasons:
- Overworked professionals are using AI as an assistant to complete their tasks
- The buzz around AI has led to a sense of fear – use it or get replaced by it
- There are few guidelines around the nature of tasks for which generative AI tools work best
- Professionals are genuinely able to get more done in a day using AI tools
While most of the buzz about AI has led to beliefs that it’s the solution to just about every problem we can imagine, we need a workplace reality check. It’s about time everyone – professionals, managers, and companies – addresses the loss this is causing. Machine learning-based AI tools rarely offer transparency. When employees start accepting pattern-fed solutions blindfolded, thoughtful vetting is the first loss. The next frontiers include analytical skills, fine judgment, and disruptive thinking. Potential de-skilling has emerged as a top AI risk for individuals. The potential of AI’s impact on decision-making skills is considerable and unlikely to be a short-term issue.
This calls for companies and managers to arrest and reverse the loss of critical thinking without losing time. How? Here’s what you can do:
- Demystify the standard principles of AI and machine learning; establish why AI is not a magic wand for every task
- Redefine employees’ KRAs (Key Responsibility Areas) in terms of AI-assisted and AI-non-assisted tasks
- Do away with any implied pressure that may lead employees to hush-hush any AI-assisted job
Risks of AI’s impact on decision-making skills
Loss of critical thinking is dangerous in more ways than one for careers, companies, and economies. It demands that every citizen… every professional… protect their work from threats such as synthetic content and misinformation. Failure to do the same could lead to more than just performance and profitability loss for companies. It could undo years and decades of good work. Consider the following risks:
#1: Unchecked Bias Amplification
Algorithm bias exists. And when an employee using AI assistance fails to identify and address such bias, the repercussions are huge. From racial and gender bias to stereotypes around aging and tech literacy, a range of harmful biases can seep into various operational aspects of a business. This can lead to reverse progress on DEI goals and hurt brand trust and affinity.
#2: Pattern-led Decision Making
Continuous innovation is key to growing in a highly agile business environment. This calls for a culture where deep, critical thinking is the norm. When employees routinely skip analyzing or improving upon AI-generated outcomes, companies end up risking a culture of innovation. More upskilling, please!
#3: Loss of Values
Across industries, unique solutions are inspired and guided by their company’s set of values. Open-source generative AI is not yet equipped to understand the emotional and ethical depth that defines such values. When employees fail to see AI-assisted work through the lens of company values, outcomes tend to lose their sharpness and impact.
Defining employee experience around AI
As a business owner or manager, it’s important to set clear expectations about how your employees engage with AI at work. From conversations to guidelines, this transparency is the only way you can combat emerging challenges. As AI becomes more integral to everyday work, it is critical that you rise to the occasion. For AI to be effective, it needs continuous human intervention and sanity checks. Tech is amazing, but enhancing critical thinking in the AI era is a must.
Building the right culture to facilitate transparency and candid conversations is critical, but it’s not always easy. The goals of mutual growth and continuous improvement demand that you cultivate an end-to-end approach to tracking and managing employee experience.
When you engage employees regularly, you can:
- Identify operational bottlenecks that demand AI assistance
- Understand how employees are leveraging AI for various tasks
- Know the challenges that are driving employees to use AI for non-ideal tasks
- Share time-sensitive data with team leaders for intervention
- Monitor the impact of AI training programs and align initiatives
Building such an EX ecosystem isn’t rocket science. All you need is the right approach and an end-to-end employee experience management platform. After all, when smart technology is paired with human expertise and innovation, we all win! 😉
Ready to commit to enhancing critical thinking in the AI era within your workplace? Drive employee experience success with SogoEX!
With SogoEX, you can track employee sentiment through pulse checks, run quick surveys on topics like AI and workplace satisfaction, and get concise analytics for swift action. SogoEX equips you with all the tools needed to manage and enhance every employee’s lifecycle over a single, intuitive platform.
Connect with our team today to learn more about how we can help you and your team reach your goals.
