Generative AI can help boost productivity in the workplace, expert says
Researcher says using the technology comes with a huge responsibility
Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly popular, especially with chatbots such as ChatGPT blowing up online. But many people may still have questions about how the technology is being used, especially in work environments.
Scott Batemen, the scientific director of the Research Institute of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at the University of New Brunswick, said the most common use of generative AI currently involves accessing a search interface, but it may become more integrated down the line for workflow purposes.
"You can imagine, as you're typing an email, you know, being able to access ChatGPT to ask for help, or to help you draft different parts of the email," Bateman said.
"Or it might even be taking an active role and advising you on maybe … you're coming across as too frustrated or too emotional, maybe you should use language like this that's more neutral, or maybe you need to use a more professional tone."
Generative AI systems are trained on large datasets and programmed with rules and algorithms. They can then create text or multimedia such as images, music or video based on a user's request.
How AI is being used now
Bateman said AI comes with a huge responsibility because ultimately, the user is still responsible for the content it produces.
"While it can be a tool for us to use, we have to go through very carefully and make sure that it's, you know, creating reliable and trustworthy information," he said, adding that generative AI also runs the risk of creating bias within the information it produces.
Still, Bateman said it can be a helpful tool, or a collaborative partner of sorts, in the workplace, taking on repetitive or simple tasks that don't necessarily require a lot of skill.
Jon Barry, a partner with the digital team in MNP's Saint John office, already has experience with generative AI in the workplace.
Barry said he uses it for simple tasks such as transcriptions. His company also uses Microsoft programs such as Copilot, an AI companion, to help serve clients, he said.
For example, Barry said MNP will use AI to help accelerate the process of putting together a proposal for a client.
Cathy Simpson, the CEO of TechImpact, a New Brunswick organization aimed at growing the economy through technology, said using generative AI could handle tasks as simple as summarizing a meeting or taking notes to save workers time.
And while AI might seem like a new technology, she said we already have examples of it being used in everyday interactions, such as customer service chatbots.
Challenges with incorporating AI
Simpson said she believes the uses for AI in the business world will be "limitless," but that doesn't mean there won't be challenges.
"There is reason to be concerned, and that's why you need to be thinking about the ethics associated with the AI and the use of technology," said Simpson.
"Do I think that jobs are going to change? Some, very significantly. Do I think that the first thing we're going to see is some of the mundane pieces of work being eliminated? I hope so."
Barry said there are several challenges he's faced with using AI. First, he said high quality data is paramount to achieving good AI output. Companies also need to have the wherewithal internally to train the AI model in order to get the right information from it, he said.
He has noticed that people tend to be disappointed if the AI doesn't do what they expected, he said. But they need to be willing to help the model work more effectively instead of giving up on it because it didn't produce the expected results.
"We live in an age of immediate gratification, and so if you hear the hype of AI and you say, 'OK, well, I want to see the result' … but if you don't have it trained properly on the data that your organization has, then it's hard to get that result."
Opportunity for New Brunswick
Barry said going forward, Canada needs to stay competitive internationally, but the country often falls behind the United States on productivity.
But Barry said AI is probably the biggest change he's seen in a long time — even bigger than the introduction of the internet.
"Because of the rate of change of AI, I think the gulf between the haves and the havenots is going to be faster and more dramatic," he said.
"In the age of the internet, as you saw, you got the Amazons of the world, you got the Googles of the world. You didn't get to see change, perhaps, in our traditional industries that you might have thought.
"I think in AI, you're actually going to see more traditional industries more dramatically impacted."
Barry said on the New Brunswick business front, the province isn't far behind the rest of the country when it comes to AI.
But he said he thinks there's an opportunity for the province to take a leadership role in key areas, such as health care and education.
"I think there's unbelievable promise and opportunity in both of those areas to make a really significant difference … to get people better access to health care, to get kids [a] more personalized version of education so that teachers can really spend time where they need to spend time," said Barry.
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