Be vigilant and always verify: how to manage in the age of AI

With the proliferation of AI tools in the workplace, there’s a huge amount of excitement around their power and potential. But it’s not just a matter of crafting clever prompts, putting your feet up and watching the efficiencies roll in. As with any major change process, success may depend on how you lead your people through it. 

We asked early adopters in the CMI community to share their thoughts on the human side of AI. From training to culture and simple reassurance, here are their six top tips.

1. Address people’s fears

Philip Hanna, dean of education at Queen’s University Belfast, a CMI partner, says you should start by tackling the elephant in the room: acknowledging the fear and uncertainty that AI brings. 

“That means being open about the fact that there will be change and roles will evolve,” he says. “There are many things we don’t yet fully understand. Also, acknowledge that many people will feel unsettled about this change. That’s OK; it’s a normal human reaction.”

2. Go beyond technical skills

AI can analyse and generate information quickly, but it can’t exercise judgement in the way humans do. Jean Gan is a CMI Level 7 student who founded Aignite, a think tank and community supporting women’s leadership and equality in the age of AI. With AI gaining prominence all the time, Jean says managers need to double down on emotional intelligence, ethical reasoning and critical thinking. 

“In practice, that means asking teams not only what the AI produced, but also whether we agree with it, what assumptions are behind it and what the risks are if it’s wrong. That’s particularly crucial.” 

3. Be exploratory but vigilant

With the explosion in AI tools and providers, it makes sense to keep an open mind and test out different solutions. But your teams must remain ethical. For Professor Mark Loon CMgr FCMI, dean of the School of Business and Creative Industries at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, this means acknowledging where AI has been used when sharing information, and being careful how you select tools and articulate prompts. 

“The power of AI is amazing and its accuracy is growing over time, so sometimes we forget that it does get things wrong,” says Mark. “Being vigilant is important, especially when looking for or at something new. We always verify our information and use different sources, and even different AI tools, to check our findings.”