How to Use AI as a Manager

Pakin Jarerndee

There are many ways managers can get their team onboard with AI.

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is developing in leaps and bounds. You've probably seen and heard much about its radical impact on the world of work. But how can you harness it to help your team?

How Do You Define AI?

AI is often defined as a machine that has the capability to perform tasks usually accomplished by human thinking. [1] These include tasks that require reasoning, perceiving, learning and using creativity.

Here are a few examples of common types of AI used in the workplace:

• Large language models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, which decipher and generate language.
• AI art generators, like Dall-E, that create images based on the user's instructions.
• Virtual assistants, like Siri, which use AI to help with organizational and other everyday tasks.
• Deep learning tools which are trained on data sets to categorize input and optimize processes. This can range from reducing energy use to recommending investments.
• Rule-based AI systems that use predefined rules to make decisions ("if A, then B"). They can help with quality control or fraud identification. [2]

How to Use AI at Work

There are many ways that AI can enhance work. Which technologies you use (or don’t) will depend on your industry and the problems that you’re trying to solve.

Here are some common work situations where AI tools can help:

• Marketing and social media. LLMs can help you to write and tailor messages, campaigns and reports. On social media, AI can help to track users, target content, and identify trends.
• Content and learning. With good prompts, AI can create decent written and visual content. It can assist with learning by summarizing detailed information and creating interactive learning experiences like quizzes.
• Commerce. AI-powered chatbots can interact with your customers in a manner of your choosing. AI tools can recommend products to buyers, as well as helping you to predict general trends in commerce. Their ability to verify information can also make them useful for preventing fraud. [2]
• Organization. AI-powered assistants can help you to organize your workload and set reminders. You can prompt LLMs to prioritize tasks, generate schedules, and more.
• Analytics. AI can process data much more quickly than humans. It can help with tasks such as fact checking, code generation, analysis, report generation, and data entry. [3]

Quick AI Exercise For Managers

If you're new to using AI as a manager, here’s a quick exercise to get you started.

Open up a LLM, such as ChatGPT, and test out the prompts below. Many LLMs are free to use, you simply need to set up an account.

The following are prompts that can help managers in separate work-related situations:

1. Write a 150-word email to encourage customers to subscribe to your company newsletter on [insert topic].
2. Review the business document below and make five suggestions to improve it. Consider spelling and grammar, clarity and engagement. [Copy and paste a business document you wrote below the prompt].
3. List 10 opportunities for a team member I supervise to grow and develop their skills. They work as [their job] in [their industry] and would like to [briefly describe their ambitions].

By providing as much relevant information and context as possible, the results you receive back will be more likely to suit your purpose. And think of the results as a jumping off point – take the responses it gives you and then check and refine them.

How to Bring Your Team on Board With AI

As a manager, you’re likely the one responsible for guiding your team through adopting and adapting to new technology. But you may encounter resistance.

Here are some suggestions for helping ease your team into a world of AI:

• Offer training. Like any other new technology, the use of AI programs is a learnable skill. Make sure your team is informed and give them opportunities to become accustomed to new AI tools.
• Use change management techniques. Change can be challenging   . It’s your job to guide your team and give them the room they need to adjust. Lewin’s Change Management Model   can be helpful here – start by preparing your team, work together to adopt new ways of doing things, and then formalize the new norm.
• Work with the skeptics. Some people are resistant toward new technologies. Welcome their critical thinking, as they might offer new perspectives and insights. Identify and support their needs, and seek to understand their point of view. Then explain your point of view and why things are changing.

Challenges and Opportunities of AI

While there is widespread fear that AI may replace people in a range of roles, there are reasons to be optimistic.

The key for managers is to remain abreast of the latest developments, and to find ways in which AI can become an asset. In the words of the economist Richard Baldwin, "AI won't take your job. It's somebody using AI that will take your job." [3]

With AI changing the corporate landscape, your team is likely to face new challenges and, hopefully, embrace the new opportunities it presents. These key considerations will help you to stay ahead of the curve in implementing artificial intelligence innovations wisely.

When to Use AI

It’s important to think critically about how your team will use AI before you go ahead and bring a new program into the workplace. What are your company’s needs? Is AI the best tool for the job?

Don’t rush to use AI in everything. Sometimes, older forms of technology, such as automation, are the most effective. [2]

Take the case of aerospace company Airbus. When increasing production of a new aircraft, the organization identified its production challenges and then looked for the best solution to each one. They went on to create an AI system that matched 70 percent of production problems to existing solutions. This meant they were able to meet production targets more efficiently than they would without AI. [6]

Ethics of AI

Ethics are often woolly when new technologies emerge. In the case of AI, it’s a question of using technology fairly – and safely.

Your location might impact the technology you’re able to use, and how you use it. Consider local legislation that affects the use of AI, such as the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act.

As part of your team’s AI training, make sure they’re briefed on secure practices. Some AI models retain the information or intellectual property they’re fed, so be sure that your team are aware of what they’re doing and that you provide clear guidelines for use.

Give some thought to what you want to use AI for, and when it’s best to proceed without it. In publishing, for example, many magazines choose to focus on human-generated writing which offers a real-world perspective that AI can’t replicate. And some magazines clearly label the use of AI in the writing process, so that the reader is aware.

Keep in mind that AI can reflect the biases of the dataset it’s trained on, and some AI tools can output inaccurate information – so it’s best to get human eyes to look over anything that AI produces.

Innovative Applications of AI

Precautionary measures aside, AI offers opportunities for real innovation. In several industries, AI has led to some impressive advances. If you’re working in the fields below, here are some you might be using already:

• Education. AI can help to individualize learning, assess students, and tailor support to their needs. It can also act as an expert "teacher" – if you ask an LLM to act like a mechanical engineer and diagnose a problem with your equipment, or to explain a concept as if you’re a five-year-old, the right model can do that.
• Agriculture. With the help of computer vision, AI can assess soil quality, recommend what crops to plant, and suggest schedules based on weather. AI-powered robotic tools have brought increased efficiency to harvesting.
• Finance. Banks are using AI to spot fraud (by detecting unusual transaction patterns) and to assess loan risks. AI is prominent in financial prediction and risk analysis, and some professionals use it to help with trading. [4]
• Healthcare. AI is being used to diagnose diseases, with increasing accuracy and predictive ability. It’s able to spot risks and recommend personalized treatment plans. Pharmaceutical companies are using it to create new drugs, and AI-automated surgeries are more precise than those carried out by humans. [4, 7]

What new innovations might you be part of? AI offers the ability to process information at prodigious rates, and its use is increasingly democratic. New models are being developed all the time, including some you can customize and use from your phone.

Some employees and organizations are fearful of getting left behind as technology shifts. But remember that there are people behind this technology, and teams that become skilled in its use can find more, rather than fewer, opportunities. By facilitating continuous learning, you can equip your team to be one of them.