Artificial intelligence (AI), once a futuristic concept and buzzword, is actively working to drastically change everything.

While it is worth being cautious and a little skeptical, it’s time to find ways to incorporate AI into your business for improved efficiency, streamlining operations and staying ahead of competition. Here’s what CEOs need to understand about AI.

  1. AI is more than just chatbots

ChatGPT took social media by storm last year, with people sharing the prompts they fed into the software to test the boundaries of the program. This isn’t just about college students using technology to write papers or contrarians looking to see if they can trick the program into making inflammatory statements; AI is a powerful tool that can streamline processes, analyze data, quickly find insights faster than humans and it continuously learns to become smarter. AI encompasses more than chatbots; it includes machine learning, faster processing, sharper analysis and creating systems to improve your business through specific data inputs.

  1. The human responsibilities when it comes to working with AI

Like any organization, the AI your company decides to implement needs rules, structures, regulations, and restrictions to perform the desired work efficiently without running wild. A good governance framework will set the program’s operating parameters. It’s important for your team to establish this framework before implementing it, to ensure everyone understands the risks and benefits as well as the purposes for which AI is being used.

  1. Data is like food or creating a product: Garbage in will equal garbage out

The data you provide to your AI program will determine how successful the outcome will be. Double-check all of your inputs and be as clear and detailed as possible before setting your AI to work. Any mistakes, any errors, will be taken at face value by the program and will be interpreted as fact, leading to problems down the road if not caught and corrected early.

  1. Get your whole team to buy into the change and get excited about it

When it comes to AI, there will be fear and concerns about lost jobs. Understand that upfront before announcing any changes or the implementation of AI into your company’s procedures. Know how you’ll explain the decision and be ready to reassure your team of the benefits of adopting AI. For example, your team may have the ability to take on new projects, learn new skills and be free of some of the mundane, monotonous tasks they dislike. Encourage them to try out some small projects on their own to gain a better understanding of how AI works and to find ways to incorporate it into their tasks. Offer training and shadowing for different teams to encourage creative thinking and collaboration, as they observe how colleagues use AI in various ways.

  1. Common challenges with incorporating AI into business practices

There will be some big challenges that need to be kept front of mind when incorporating AI into your business practices. If you intend to use AI as a recruitment or screening tool, it is crucial to program it without conscious or unconscious bias language. The keywords entered should be job- or role-specific; it should not include any language that might eliminate candidates from consideration because of any protected class to which they might belong.

Ensure unbiased and non-discriminatory queries by having multiple team members review keywords and phrases. You’ll need to conduct periodic check-ups and adjustments to make sure the program is still following your specific instructions, as AI has the ability to “learn” based on inputs provided by users and might make decisions on behalf of your company that cause ethical problems.

With AI, keep in mind you don’t have to do everything all at once. Start small, with one application, to get a feel for how it works, what’s expected, what the outputs look like. Once everyone has a better understanding and has been trained on the program you’re utilizing, move forward with confidence and an appropriate amount of caution.

To successfully utilize AI and continue learning about it, you’ll want to make sure your team is knowledgeable and excited about it.

Are you looking for new employees in Hawaii?

If you need to add to your team, it’s time to contact Bishop & Company, who can help you find strong candidates with the kind of IT background you need to keep your company competitive and on the cutting edge of evolving technology. When you’re ready to learn more about how AI can help your company and find new candidates to lead the charge, it’s time to call Bishop & Company.

Bishop & Company has been helping Hawaii residents and businesses since 2006. We provide high-quality staffing solutions for all-size companies in a variety of industries. If you’re a job seeker, we’ll match your skills to find a perfect fit, and if you’re an employer, we’ll help build your team to make a bottom-line difference.

Judy Bishop is owner, president, and CEO of Bishop & Company, an award-winning recruiting and staffing firm. She has been named by Pacific Business News as one of the Top 25 Women Owned Businesses for the past 12 years, was honored as an Industry Leader by Pacific Edge Magazine and named Outstanding Woman of the Year by the Organization of Women Leaders.