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The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly gaining popularity in the workplace as managers and employees try to harness its potential to optimize their day by day activities. But for staff to leverage this ability, AI needs one key thing: data.
Data – the whole lot that organizations use to track performance, processes, people, platforms and profitability – is the foundation of AI. Every company has it, whether or not they know it or not.
However, for many companies, their data is not ready to support AI. According to Slingshot Digital Work Trends 2024 Report45% of companies admit that their data is not ready to support artificial intelligence initiatives, and 19% say this is the principal obstacle stopping them from further development. Companies must update their data quickly to successfully integrate AI into their workplace and experience the true advantages the technology can provide.
Here are 4 steps companies can take to ensure their data is accessible, accurate, actionable and AI-ready:
1. Creation of a centralized database for artificial intelligence and employees
One of the principal the reason why companies have not yet realized the potential of their data is that it is spread across multiple channels and different gatekeepers. Without these insights, employees must make decisions based on instinct or the loudest person in the room.
It’s not only employees who are affected by siled data. AI too.
Artificial intelligence needs access to all company data to learn, adapt and offer the most advanced information possible. This availability results from overcoming data barriers in many organizations.
When companies unify their data in one accessible location, AI can analyze a comprehensive set of data to provide more accurate insights, recommendations and forecasts based on trends that may otherwise go unnoticed. With all relevant information at hand, employees can leverage AI knowledge to improve decision-making, creating a culture of data-driven innovation throughout the organization.
2. Verify your details
Artificial intelligence is only as powerful as the data that supports it. Decisions and predictions generated by AI are more likely to be inaccurate without high-quality data.
For AI to realize its full potential, companies must be certain that the data on which AI relies is clean and error-free. This requires a comprehensive review of data sets, including standardizing how information is recorded, identifying and correcting any missing or incorrect data, and eliminating duplicate entries that might distort results. This would increase the credibility of AI insights and worker trust in the technology they use, as 43% of employees and managers they’d have greater confidence in their company’s AI readiness if their data was thoroughly vetted for accuracy.
3. Introduce privacy and AI protocols
In addition to data accuracy, one other key factor in preparing organizations for AI is implementing data compliance protocols. As companies prepare to integrate AI into their processes, responsible data management becomes vital – not only to comply with regulations, but also to build trust among employees and customers.
AI’s heavy reliance on data raises privacy concerns, so a key goal for organizations is to establish clear policies on how data is collected, stored and processed. Slingshot’s Digital Work Trends report shows that 31% of employees and 45% of managers are looking for stronger security and compliance data protocols before fully integrating AI into their workflows.
Without appropriate measures, businesses risk greater than just data breaches or misuse; threaten the effectiveness and credibility of their AI initiatives.
4. Offer AI training and education
The potential of AI goes beyond data – it’s about empowering the individuals who use it. While clean, centralized and compliant data is key to integrating AI in the workplace, the real revolution is how well employees can interpret and apply the insights that come from the technology. For example, AI can generate trends and patterns based on the data provided, but it’s up to the team to make strategic decisions and define an effective go-to-market plan based on those findings.
It all comes down to worker training in artificial intelligence.
Seventy-two percent (72%) of employers imagine their employees are adequately trained in AI, but only 53% of employees share this view. This discrepancy highlights the need for companies to re-evaluate their approach to AI training, whether by enhancing existing programs or introducing recent initiatives to ensure teams are truly prepared.
For companies to fully reap the advantages of AI, they have to not only ensure the centralization, cleanliness and security of their data, but also invest in equipping their employees with the knowledge and training vital to effectively use AI. A comprehensive approach – focusing on data readiness, privacy protocols and worker education – will help organizations overcome the barriers that currently prevent many people from harnessing the true power of AI in the workplace.