Last week, Shopify CEO Tobi L\u00fctke made headlines with an internal memo advocating for \u2018reflexive AI usage\u2019 across the business. For L\u00fctke, using AI tools is now a \u2018fundamental expectation\u2019, to be measured in performance and peer review questionnaires. And, most strikingly, teams looking to hire will need to demonstrate why an AI can\u2019t perform the role instead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As this approach to AI adoption becomes more widespread, HR and L&D teams are going to have to develop a deep understanding of these tools<\/a> and their capabilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And they\u2019re going to have to support managers and team members as they transition to a working world where AI tools act as a personal assistant, a coach and a colleague. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s useful to think of AI use as a spectrum. At one end, there\u2019s total automation: the AI completes tasks without any human involvement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At the other, the human must perform a task completely on their own because leveraging an AI in that moment is either inappropriate or not possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Between these two extremes, the extent to which an AI can enhance performance varies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This version of AI use is, in some ways, the easiest to adopt. You probably already embrace it, without thinking about it. For example, when your email inbox filters mail for you, or when your learning platform recommends a piece of content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When we produce The Mindtools L&D Podcast<\/em><\/a>, the platform we use transcribes our conversation, writes show notes, creates video clips for social media and cleans up our audio. All without any human intervention. The AI pre-empts our needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These kinds of automation are what Tobi L\u00fctke is encouraging when he asks his teams to justify why they need to hire a person instead of using AI. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The most visible example of an AI in popular use is ChatGPT, but others include Co-Pilot from Microsoft and Gemini from Google. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You ask these tools to write you an email, draft a policy, analyze a document or create an image. I used one of them to get feedback on this blog post and to polish my draft. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The AI then completes the task for you, and your role is to evaluate the output and determine if it meets your needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One step further than asking an AI to complete a task for you is to work with an AI, in the moment, to extend your human capabilities. This use of AI is often referred to as \u2018augmentation\u2019. In the literature, people who use AI like this are often referred to as \u2018cyborgs\u2019, because the human and the machine are completely intertwined. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples of such tools include Grammarly to help you write; Zoom\u2019s AI Companion identifies follow-up actions during calls; PowerPoint recommends lay-outs when you insert an image. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In each case, the AI extends your existing abilities: making you a better writer, stakeholder or graphic designer. You\u2019re able to perform your role better or faster than you would have done without support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another example here is in decision-making, where AI coaches can help you think through issues and come up with a solution. Our new Ask M: Coach<\/a> feature is just one such example, extending coaching support from the privileged few who can afford it to anyone who asks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At some point, however, you will still have to complete tasks on your own. This is particularly true for those sensitive interpersonal tasks that make up so much of our work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Think conducting an interview, providing feedback, having a difficult conversation or pitching to a potential client. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It would be awkward or inappropriate to refer to an AI tool in the moment, but AI can help you prepare by providing advice or pointing you to useful resources. <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat does this look like in practice? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
1. AI anticipates tasks and completes them automatically <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
2. AI completes a task when I ask it to <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
3. AI helps me complete my tasks (in the flow of work) <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
4. AI tells me how to do the task <\/h4>\n\n\n\n