Expert panel: 5 key ways generative AI is impacting businesses

Generative AI is not only changing how businesses operate, innovate, and strategise. It’s also creating new avenues for new business models. It's becoming challenging for business leaders to know which trends and technologies are worth adopting and how to do so with strategy.

On Tuesday, June 18th, Robert Half Market Director Duncan Smorfitt and Talent Expert Madeleine Barnes hosted an 'AI for Leaders' panel discussion, covering some of the most pressing questions senior leaders are asking regarding the adoption of next-generation AI.

The panel of expert guests consisted of Stephen Kelly (CEO at Cirata and former first Chief Operating Officer for the UK Government), Matthew Blakemore (AI strategist and CEO at AI Caramba!), Carolyn Scott (founder and advisor, ex-Director of B2B Marketing at Google), and Roland Carandang (Managing Director, UK Technology Consulting Leader at Protiviti).

The discussion explored three key areas of generative AI adoption: executive perceptions of generative AI's challenges and opportunities, use cases, and potential sources for skills and talent. These are five topline takeaways from the event and what you can learn from them.

Organisations are beginning to look at generative AI differently, with opinions evolving in a very short space of time. Matt says he's experienced a change in attitudes quarter to quarter regarding generative AI adoption.

"Before, business leaders thought they could [implement generative AI] in-house with their current development teams, but now there's an understanding that they need to bring in strategic experts to get real value out of the tools," he says. He advises resisting pressure from the board in favour of aligning generative AI adoption with business strategies and objectives.

Carolyn pointed to Deloitte’s Now Decides Next study that measured executive sentiments around AI across a Q1 and Q2 timespan. She felt encouraged by the shift in perspectives from using AI strictly for improving efficiencies in Q1 to thinking about opportunities in Q2.

"Almost all business leaders in Q1 said that they think talent is the biggest roadblock to more gen AI adoption, but very few of them had any plan in place, particularly for upskilling. And that changed dramatically in Q2," she said.

AI governance can't be established without a clear understanding of how the tech will be used to fix issues within the business as defined by the business strategy. "Develop a code of ethics around AI, just like you would for a financial services company, so everyone understands what's okay and what's not," Stephen says.

Increasing concerns around eDiscovery and data subject access requests are prompting businesses to delete data much more frequently, making it harder to effectively train AI models. “A lot of the information that people are using to bring these AI models internally and teach them about their organisation is now being deleted,” Roland says. “So, there's a strategy there on data governance, but it's going to conflict with or likely conflict with their strategy on generative AI if businesses don't think about it.”

AI governance should be rooted in company values, meaning it will look different on a case-by-case basis. Matt gave Unilever's Dove brand as an example: "They've determined that as part of their governance, they will never use AI-generated people in their outputs because they think it will have a negative impact on how people perceive their brand."

Fortunately, the UK government is doing a lot of work in this area, including providing funding to the Innovate U.K. Bridge AI Program that supports businesses with AI governance and responsible AI implementation. The British Standards Institute is also supporting companies by making AI standards more accessible. "ISO 42001 is a new AI system standard that businesses can use to provide the framework for AI governance internally," says Matt.

Generative AI can become a crucial tool in supporting ESG and sustainability initiatives within businesses—an area many business leaders have not yet fully explored. "Sustainable cloud is now being promoted much more in the technology space," says Roland.

"It's helping tech leaders and business leaders react to ESG reporting more scientifically. You're starting to get information about the carbon impact of your cloud computing, not just what you use within your cloud provider but also what you consume through things like open AI. And that's going to allow people to start looking at the business case more stringently."

Generative AI is a catalyst for a fundamental shift in the talent market. New roles, like AI ethicists, AI implementation specialists, and prompt engineers, will be fundamental in driving innovation and successful implementation. Business leaders need a clear talent proposition in place, so they're prepared to answer candidate questions about how they're using generative AI and how it might impact that person's role.

It's critical to redefine mindsets around what 'gen AI talent’ looks like. Carolyn cites a recent McKinsey ‘Gen AI Talent’ workforce study which revealed a common oversight, "so far, we've thought of Gen AI talent as technical skills — research scientists, people who know how to code, etc — but 88% of the people who consider themselves proficient with AI are non-technical," she says. "It's about identifying that Gen AI talent and engaging them. Creating the kind of workplace they want, but also using them to collaborate and help with upskilling."

Releasing preconceptions around AI proficiency and age is vital for talent. Roland referred to a 3-year generational study by the London School of Economics in partnership with Protiviti, which revealed untapped potential in workforce newcomers.

"Our incoming generation feels as though they're bringing so much to the table with generative AI, yet only being used for a small slice of that. So, we really do need to think about talent," he says.

Upskilling, development, and talent strategies are an essential component for successful AI adoption, now and long-term. We've already seen routine tasks become automated, and staff can benefit from guidance on how they can utilise skills that complement AI — critical thinking, creativity, emotional intelligence, etc.

"I think it's important for leaders to be intentional about what people should do with that time that is going to be freed up and have a change management plan," says Carolyn. "What do employees do with that time? I think, as leaders, we need to give direction."

Matt referred to a recent creative industries survey he conducted which revealed that 72% of creatives felt generative AI tools would empower them in their roles. But, after drilling down into the data, it was revealed that 100% of junior workers felt 'threatened' or 'very threatened' by generative AI.

"We need to think about the roles people go into straight out of university," he says. "If these tools come in and replace admin tasks, we don't want to prevent those people from getting onto the career ladder because we're going to have a massive problem in a few years where we haven't got people trained up to fulfil middle management roles, then become senior management," he says.

To learn more about AI and the future of work, visit our advice blog. For support and information on preparing your workforce for generative AI, reach out to our talent experts today.

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