Brendan, CX Lead at Epoch, Keith, Co-Founder and COO at Epoch, and Meg, CX Lead at Epoch led an insightful workshop on using AI to power employee experience.
Definition & history of AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the branch of computer science dedicated to creating machines that can think and reason like humans, without the limitations of the human mind. AI includes capabilities such as speech and image recognition, language translation, decision-making, and data analysis.
Brief timeline
In the mid-20th century, science fiction and early technological explorations introduced the first notions of AI. Researchers officially found the field of artificial intelligence in the summer of 1956 at a workshop at Dartmouth College which laid the groundwork for AI's development over the next two decades. Their ideas attracted significant government investment, eager to transform these concepts into reality. However, by the mid-1970s, restricted funding abruptly halted AI research progress which led to a period known as the AI winter.
From the late 1990s to the 2010s, technological advancements reignited interest in AI research, sparking the emergence of new projects and innovations. Currently, the availability of cost-effective computing power, extensive data collection, and novel methodologies is driving a resurgence of interest and investment in AI, resulting in a significant boom in AI development.
The current state of AI
The main forms of AI are machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision, often used together in various applications.
Fast facts
The worldwide AI software market revenue is $126 billion
The market grows 54% year on year
1 of 3 of organizations have implemented AI in their business operations
By the end of 2027, 95% of business interactions will be powered by AI either directly or indirectly
Five steps to prepare your organization for generative AI from Salesforce
1. Start experimenting to understand the technology
Begin by learning how AI works. Experiment with prompts: you send a prompt to a large language model and receive a result. Better prompts lead to better outcomes.
2. Identify your use case
Identify what AI excels at, such as generating content, translating text, and summarizing information. Look for use cases that fit these capabilities, such as summarizing customer calls, generating personalized outreach emails, or translating comments into working code.
3. Prepare your data for AI
To achieve specific results, create detailed prompts. Clean your data to ensure accuracy and develop tools to embed this data into AI prompts.
4. Evaluate the risks
Generative AI poses risks, such as sharing sensitive data. Mask your data before use and consider where prompts are sent to ensure data security. Implement a trust layer with AI to maintain confidentiality.
5. Integrate and refine the results
Integrate AI results into business processes and measure their impact. Map prompts to specific actions and continuously refine your approach for better outcomes.
How AI can improve engagement at your organization
The workshop asked, how can AI enhance and streamline your role in workplace or employee experience, and improve overall employee engagement and communication within your organizations? This is what attendees came up with:
Project management
Event management & project plans: AI can streamline event coordination and project planning, automating reminders and updates.
Creating policies and procedures: Automated policy and procedure creation can ensure consistency and save time.
Reminder messages for programs: AI can send automated reminders for program deadlines and events.
Task management
Task aggregation: AI can consolidate tasks, helping employees manage and prioritize their workload more efficiently.
Communication
Internal event promotion: AI can promote internal events through personalized and automated messages.
Meeting notes and action items: AI can transcribe meeting notes and highlight action items, ensuring no detail is missed.
Common questions and custom messages: AI can answer common employee questions and customize communication for individual employees, making messages more relevant.
Summary of key points: AI can summarize key points and next steps from meetings, improving follow-up and action.
Connecting employees
Networking facilitation: AI can connect employees who should know each other, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Random group assignments: AI can randomize groups for meetings and events, encouraging diverse interactions.
Onboarding buddy
Guidance for new hires: AI can act as an onboarding buddy, answering common questions and helping new employees navigate the organization.
Summarizing information
Employee questions: AI can summarize information from various sources, answering employee questions effectively.
Feedback from surveys: AI can analyze and summarize feedback from employee engagement surveys, highlighting key trends and areas for improvement.
Creation and content development
Consistent messaging: AI can help create consistent internal communications and maintain a cohesive brand voice.
Content personalization: AI can personalize content for different audiences, making messages more engaging and relevant.
Automated documentation: AI can automate the creation of documentation, from policies to procedural guides.
Engagement and events
Virtual event engagement: AI can enhance engagement in virtual events, suggesting optimal times and formats for various audiences.
Employee recognition: AI can ensure employees feel recognized on special occasions, such as birthdays and work anniversaries.
Key takeaways
AI involves creating machines that perform tasks requiring human-like intelligence, such as speech recognition, language translation, and decision-making.
Prepare for generative AI by experimenting with technology, identifying use cases like content generation and text translation. Clean and prepare data, ensuring accuracy and integrating it effectively.
AI can boost employee engagement by automating tasks, personalizing feedback, enhancing communication, facilitating connections, summarizing information, and recognizing achievements.
How Epoch can help
Do you want to get hands on with AI within your workflow? We can help. Book a demo today!
