Is AI About to Change How We Work?

Tim Elliott (0:00)

This is the Morning Drive. AI is changing how business is higher, they manage talent, they develop skills, and as Abu Dhabi prepares to launch HR Tech Abu Dhabi next year, the focus is on building a workforce for an increasingly digital economy. So how is technology reshaping the future of work, and what does it mean for employers and employees? Big questions. Debbie French is going to answer them, I hope. International Portfolio Director at the Events Data and Information Group, ARC Network. Good to meet you.

Debbie French (0:29)

Good to meet you, too. Thank you. Good to have you here.

Tim Elliott (0:32)

So, look, big questions today, as I said. Let's start with kind of as we mean to go on. How is AI changing the way companies hire, manage and develop their people today? Cool.

Debbie French (0:42)

It's a big one, isn't it?

Tim Elliott (0:43)

It's huge.

Debbie French (0:45)

I think, first of all, there's a lot of scaremongering around all this. I think, first of all, let's just take it back a bit, okay? First of all, AI is very much our friend. It is to be seen more as a teammate, a work colleague who, in essence, actually, takes away the admin side of your work, so you can spend more time on the other elements. So, when it comes to HR, for example, it really helps, like I said, taking the admin out, particularly when it comes to recruitment, et cetera. So, you can spend more time with people. You can spend more time with those actual candidates, getting to know them, what their strengths are, what they can bring to the business, and focusing on that, which I think is brilliant. So, it takes away all the stuff that is a bit like white noise, so you can really focus on the things that matter.

Tim Elliott (1:39)

Is that where AI is having the biggest impact? And where, but where else needs to kind of catch up? Because that's a very positive view, and you're right. I see AI as an assistant.

Debbie French (1:50)

That's right.

Tim Elliott (1:51)

But there will be another side that we're going to complain about it at some point, aren't we?

Debbie French (1:56)

Of course. And I think, you know, it's moving really quickly.

That's everywhere. Everywhere we hear it from news, everywhere we hear how quickly AI is moving. And it is constantly developing. I think the important thing that we've got to focus on is making sure that we focus on the people and making sure that we work psychologically to make sure that the people using it see it as a teammate and an aid, as opposed to something that's going to be replacing them. The tools are ready. We got to make sure our people are ready.

Tim Elliott (2:29)

Yeah. Well, this is the thing, isn't it? AI is taking on so much more. So it seems to me there should be more emphasis placed on the skills that workers, the valuable skills that workers offer. Absolutely.

Debbie French (2:43)

Exactly. So the benefits to them, how to work with them. So moving forward, we talk about, okay, do you have experience managing people?

Tim Elliott (2:52)

Yeah.

Debbie French (2:52)

Okay. Questions are going to be like, do you have experience working with bots, AI and people? It's going to be a mixture.

Tim Elliott (3:00)

Is that what it's going to be? Yeah. To have experience working with bots? Yeah.

Debbie French (3:03)

You'll have bots working for you too.

Tim Elliott (3:05)

I have experience arguing with bots at the moment. Oh yeah, that's fun.

Debbie French (3:08)

But that's great as well.

Tim Elliott (3:10)

It seems to be.

So in business, productivity is key. So how can businesses use AI to improve productivity, but also be aware that this, because very often the human side is a second at the moment to AI, I feel. AI is like the new shiny thing that we're all kind of playing, but this is the new toy.

Debbie French (3:33)

Yeah, and I think that's what we're all about, basically. So HR Tech, what we're about is we work in the place, we focus on where human resources, technology and AI meet. That's what we focus on. And so we work with people who are working with the workforces of the now and the future to help work that out and how to implement that in a meaningful way that benefits everybody. And as I said before, sometimes that isn't just focusing on the technology side, quite the opposite, is actually focusing on the human side. And often the psychological side, that's often a big barrier.