Ethan Mollick is associate professor of management at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and author of “Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI” (WH Allen)Most companies do not have an artificial intelligence strategy, yet they are already riddled with the technology. A survey published this month by LinkedIn suggested that three-quarters of white-collar workers have used AI for work, and four-fifths of them have done so from their own accounts and devices. They are not seeking the permission of their employers; in fact, they are hiding it from them, because they are afraid of the consequences.
What that means is managers need to stop asking if AI will matter in their organisations and start shaping how it will matter. That is going to introduce a wide range of new challenges that will alter what management means. Our organisational structures are built around the idea that human workers are the only form of intelligence at work. That is no longer true.
For many people in many organisations, their measurable output is words — in emails, reports and presentations. We use words as a proxy for effort, intelligence and care. When a middle manager writes a weekly status report, the report itself may not be the point. Rather, it serves as a signal that the manager has done their job of monitoring the project and making corrections, as needed.