Are you ready for an AI co-worker?

Picture this – you’re getting ready to welcome a new colleague to the office – only to be told your new co-worker is in fact an AI bot…

Working side-by-side as equals with artificial intelligence (AI) may not be a reality for the majority of workers just yet, but could AI co-workers be on the horizon? For some organisations, the answer is a resounding “yes”.

There’s already a huge amount of focus on AI in the workplace, with advantages for workers when it comes to upskilling, supporting with job applications and much more. Plus, there’s lots of opportunities for employers to integrate AI to help free up time for staff to focus on high value tasks. But how far is too far? So far staff have predominately had access to AI tools such as ChatGPT and CoPilot, whilst AI co-workers are yet to go mainstream – but for how long?

In this article we explore all of the above and much more, examining exactly WHAT an AI co-worker actually is, who is employing them, and whether or not it’s something that could be adopted into the mainstream.

AI colleagues becoming reality 

Recently, online fashion and lifestyle magazine SheerLuxe introduced an ‘AI-enhanced’ fashion editor on its social media channels, describing the AI employee (known as ‘Reem’) as a new member of the team – and even pictured ”her” alongside other colleagues. 

To anyone not reading the description, ‘Reem’ looks like a real person and was shown in different outfits – all linked to her own Instagram account. 

The move has sparked criticism for several reasons, with many asking why the magazine didn’t hire for the opportunity, rather than creating their ideal hire – in the form of AI.

A similar reaction to the idea of treating AI assistants as real-life employees was felt by Sarah Franklin, CEO of Lattice – a HR and performance management company. The company recently announced they would start to provide its digital employees or AI workers with the same support as any other staff member. 

The company stated that any digital worker would receive onboarding, training and even a manager.
 

Increasing AI agents 

The concept is essentially what’s being dubbed as ‘synthetic employees’ or ‘AI agents’– digital workers who could support or take over admin responsibilities from staff such as responding to customer service requests, managing calendars, or answering emails. 

This goes one step further from the chatbots many organisations use to respond to customer queries on their websites, often with names or personas, so customers feel as though they are talking to a real human. 

There’s lots of movement in the AI worker start-up market, too. BBC Worklife reported in December that Artisan AI  has already released its first ‘Artisan’ – an AI-powered digital worker. Their first Artisan, called Ava, is described as a ‘human-like digital worker’, designed for companies to hire to help with their sales cycles. 

Similarly, a small study in Canada utilised an AI manager to help them stay on top of their workloads, set reminders and effectively project manage. Although just a test, the outcomes included freeing up more time for the real-life manager to have one-to-one discussions with staff, rather than just problem-solving. 

Innovative or too futuristic?

For the time being, it seems that workplaces are ready to accept ‘AI assistants’ or digital workers who may have a persona – but aren’t ready to treat them as real-life employees. A report by Capgemini suggests this is the case, with 82% of companies surveyed saying they plan to integrate AI agents into their workplace within the next one-to-three years. 

The organisations who have taken it one step further in an attempt to integrate AI as real workers – although criticised by some - have been hailed by others for their innovation, and it’s something we should anticipate in the future.

For now, the role and uptake of AI assistants is growing, but will be closely monitored to avoid the blurring of lines with real-life staff.

Get your copy of our What Workers Want 2024 report to discover how to make the most of AI tools in your job search or how to utilise AI in the hiring process.