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AI in the workplace

The AI policy isn't the hard part. It's what happens beneath the surface.

Organizations are moving quickly to adopt artificial intelligence.

Tamara Keller, Esq.Founder & Principal
An open policy binder in front of a closed binder with tabbed sections.

Organizations are moving quickly to adopt artificial intelligence.

Employees are using AI tools to draft communications, analyze information, summarize documents, generate content, and automate tasks.

HR teams are exploring AI for recruiting, employee support, performance management, and other processes.

Organizations are responding with policies.

But having an AI policy is only the beginning.

The question beneath the policy

The more important question may be:

How is AI actually being used?

Employees may be using tools in ways leadership didn't anticipate.

Managers may be relying on AI-generated information when making decisions.

Employees may be entering sensitive information into tools without understanding where that information goes.

Different departments may have completely different practices.

The written policy may say one thing while everyday behavior tells another story.

That is the policy-practice gap in a new form.

AI creates familiar workplace questions

Many of the questions organizations are asking about AI are actually familiar employment questions:

  • Who is making the decision?
  • What information is being used?
  • Is the process consistent?
  • Is someone reviewing the output?
  • Could bias enter the process?
  • Is confidential information being protected?
  • Do employees understand how the technology is being used?
  • Who is accountable when something goes wrong?

AI may be new.

The underlying principles of responsible workplace management are not.

Look beyond the technology

Organizations don't necessarily need another policy sitting in an employee handbook.

They need to understand how technology is actually entering the workplace.

That means asking:

What tools are being used?

Who is using them?

For what purpose?

What decisions are being influenced?

What safeguards exist?

How do we know those safeguards are working?

The answers may reveal that the organization's policy is working exactly as intended.

Or they may reveal a gap that wasn't visible from the policy itself.

And that is where organizations can move from simply having an AI policy to actually governing AI responsibly.

The technology may be new. The need to look beneath the surface isn't.

If you want to understand how AI is actually used in your workplace, SEA can help you look.

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