Is Your Boss Holding You Back When It Comes To AI?

From using ChatGPT to outline a sample travel itinerary to bespoke chatbots that can help you tailor your resume and find a new job, generative AI's potential to completely overhaul the way we approach tasks is vast. 

Which should make it a no brainer in the workplace, right? 

Although AI is the hot topic on everyone's lips, many organizations are failing to fully leverage its capabilities at work. 

3 jobs hiring across the U.S.

• Senior Data Management Professional – Data Product Owner – People Data – Private Markets, Bloomberg, Skillman 
• Oracle Infrastructure Engineer, PNC Financial Service Group, Pittsburgh
• Sr. Machine Learning Engineer, Brooksource, Chicago 

According to the latest Slack Workforce Index, office workers are spending 41% of their time on low-value, repetitive tasks that don’t significantly contribute to their core responsibilities. 

In contrast, 81% of those who have integrated AI tools to automate certain tasks report increased productivity. 

So why the disconnect? 

Aytekin Tank, CEO and founder of Jotform, attributes this slow adoption of AI to leaders taking a cautious “wait and see” approach. He explains that AI is revolutionizing work processes across all demographics and requires a fundamental shift in thinking about daily tasks.

"Unsure of the extent to which AI will transform the workplace, some leaders are hesitant to shift their approach toward AI," he says. 

"You might remember when Snapchat first took social media by storm. Some businesses waited to see whether it was sticky enough. Ultimately, we discovered that the answer was ‘yes', but with respect to a specific demographic. 

"AI, however, isn't just a social media platform, and it's not just impacting a limited demographic. It's overhauling how work is done and requires more than just training sessions. It requires adopting a ‘systems thinking' way of looking at your daily tasks. Within organizations, that kind of fundamental shift must come from the top-down."

Adopt a proactive mindset 

So how can employees who are concerned about being left behind adopt a proactive mindset and take the necessary steps to implement AI efficiencies? 

Proactive learning and taking the initiative to learn about AI and its applications in your field is a good place to start. Online courses, webinars, and industry publications can be valuable resources and help you hone your technical skills. 

Developing your cross-functional knowledge so you have a better understanding of different departmental needs and how AI can benefit them. By adopting this growth mindset you can highlight how AI can contribute to the business on a larger scale and is an opportunity for growth rather than a threat.

Tank adds: "Employees will need to build some slack into their schedules. But once employees set their automation machines in motion, automating more and more of their daily tasks, they'll recapture time for more meaningful tasks. And as I've seen with our employees at Jotform, when employees aren't drowning in busywork, they have more time and mental space for creative work."

3 jobs to apply for 

• Software Engineer II (.Net, React, JavaScript), The Travelers Companies, Inc., Hartford
• Cobra Specialist, Paycom Payroll LLC, Oklahoma City
• Senior Associate, Software Engineering: Java, Options Clearing Corporation, Chicago

This aligns with recent GitHub research which found that developers completed tasks 55% faster, with 88% feeling more productive and 74% having more time for rewarding tasks when using its Copilot AI tool. 

However, if your efforts to embrace AI are being ignored and your employer continues to resist change, it could be time to start considering new job opportunities before your current skillset becomes obsolete—the World Economic Forum predicts that automation could disrupt 85 million jobs globally in medium and large businesses across 15 industries and 26 economies as soon as 2025.

Ready to look for a role that facilitates innovation and a forward-thinking approach? Head to the Benzinga Job Board today

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