As part of our summer 2024 employment trends series, we reflect on the developments we have observed in artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace – surely one of 2024’s hottest topics.
AI in the workplace
We have seen clients start to integrate AI into the workplace to increase productivity and automate time-consuming and repetitive tasks to speed up and enhance how we work. While there were fears this would take away the emotional intelligence, moral judgement and creativity that employees bring to their work, it seems to have done quite the opposite – AI has acted as a tool for automating repetition and leaving us with more time to focus on these human elements.
AI research and development
AI tools have also proven to have great potential in science and healthcare. Researchers, such as those at Microsoft, are now using AI to build tools to help predict weather, estimate carbon emissions and enable sustainable farming practices in a trend that aims to address and mitigate the effects of climate change. Chatbots are being deployed to help farmers identify potentially harmful weeds and help medical professionals diagnose patients. While the accuracy of these AI tools is a work in progress, we are already seeing their impact in helping accelerate scientific discoveries and medical breakthroughs.
AI regulation
As the use of AI becomes more widespread, one of the key issues arising is regulation. In May, the Council of the EU adopted the landmark Artificial Intelligence Bill, which is designed to regulate AI and address consumers’ concerns. Most of its provisions will come into force in the summer of 2026, with some provisions applying after six and 12 months. The Act will apply to all AI systems that are marketed or used within the EU, even if the provider or developer is established outside the EU. The Act categorises AI systems into four tiers, depending on the sensitivity of the data used and the use case or application. The Act bans AI practices that pose unacceptable risk and creates different levels of obligations for systems that fall into the other tiers.
Earlier in the year, the Trades Union Congress unveiled its draft for an Artificial Intelligence (Employment and Regulation) Bill which aims to regulate employer use of AI and protect workers’ and job seekers’ rights. While it has not been presented to Parliament, the proposed Bill will no doubt generate debate and discussion on how to find a balance between innovation and the protection of workers’ rights. The King’s Speech outlined the new government’s plans and promised to establish “appropriate legislation” to “place requirements on those working to develop the most powerful artificial intelligence models”. Labour’s manifesto included several pledges on AI, so we may see more movement on this in the UK in months to come.
Metaverse
While the metaverse has not experienced quite as expansive an evolution, we are beginning to see major brands such as Wendy’s, Nike and Burberry using it to help them leverage gaming strategies in their marketing. They aim to enhance user engagement and brand presence and it is possible that its growth will follow in the footsteps of AI.
