How To Avoid Losing Your Human Touch When Integrating AI Into Your Business

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It’s fair to say that the continual refinement of AI has generated a fair amount of debate, and in many cases, fierce argument. However, as business leaders embrace AI and its various functions (a topic we explore in heavy detail here), it’s easy to see a false binary forming, that of either running a “human business” or one seemingly entirely dictated by the whims of the large language models.

But this is a false dichotomy, and should not be framed in such a light. While it’s true that companies still wish to retain their identity, integrating AI into your workflow isn’t necessarily going to rid you of your humanity. However, your staff, customers, and even leadership team might not feel so sure about that. This is often the story of any new tech, first there’s hesitancy, then adoption, then the tools are used as default.

That’s not to say, however, that every firm should use AI for every task, the same way that a fabric store is unlikely to invest in 3D printing functionalities to create tools and products. So, how might we find that balance, and avoid the impression of losing your human touch as an organization? It’s not an easy question to answer, but we hope to do so below:

Keep Yourself Present In Your Branding

Think about the last time you called a company and got stuck in an endless loop of automated messages. We’re sorry to bring up such trauma, but it’s to make a point, as nobody enjoys that. 

The same principle applies to how you present your business when using AI. Your brand voice, your company’s personality, and your values should still shine through in everything you do, and you should also make certain not to round off the edge of your personality in your writing or in your responsive functionalities.

As such, AI tools might help write your emails or generate social media posts, but they should sound like your company wrote them, not like a chatbot. It’ll take careful prompting and the ability to interject when you need to. If you can use AI to enhance your existing brand voice, not replace it, you’ll have the right approach.

Sell Each Functional Step To Workflow Revisions

Nobody likes change being forced on them without explanation, especially when so many are suspicious that AI is here to make the company more productive, but not their tasks easier or more comprehensively completed

For that reason, when you bring in new AI tools, take time to show your team exactly how they’ll make work better, not just different. Maybe AI helps your customer service team handle simple questions faster, leaving them more time for complex issues. Or perhaps it helps your designers quickly generate ideas they can build on to help subvert the brainstorming process that can take time without any real progress. Perhaps you’d prefer to use a digital tool such as the OCR SDK which means documents can be digitized more easily. Show concrete examples of how AI makes work smoother and can help them and you’ll find people much more willing to embrace it.

Undergo Periods Of Testing & AI Trials

We tend to think that AI is somewhat finished and can help empower your business, but the truth is that these models are changing all the time, and you may not be able to test for every single use case you could ever possibly have. But testing is something you should certainly prioritize regardless.

You can start small, test different options out, and see what actually works for your team. Some tools might look amazing in the demo but fall flat in real use, such as how fast food stores are experimenting with AI clerks to take orders, something that has been roundly dismissed by many customers. 

Others might surprise you with unexpected benefits with the same kind of approach. Give your team time to play around with new tools without pressure and listen to their feedback, letting them find ways to use AI that make sense for their specific roles. This testing phase helps everyone feel more comfortable and gives you valuable feedback about what’s actually useful, as opposed to seeming like something you’ve imposed on your audience.

Centre Human-First Experience In AI Implementation

AI should make things better for humans, not the other way around, and that’s sometimes missing from the marketing or the expected blowback regarding these tools. For the most part, when you’re choosing AI tools, always ask how they affect the human experience – both for your customers and your team. 

Some good questions to ask include – will this chatbot actually help customers get answers faster, or will it just frustrate them? Does this AI writing tool help your marketing team be more creative, or does it make their work feel robotic? Keep the human element at the heart of every AI decision and you can answer honestly and won’t be afraid to remove an AI feature that isn’t working. Just save the marketing roll out until you absolutely know you’re going to commit to this direction.

Provide Staff With Robust Training

AI proponents often say that AI won’t necessarily remove the workforce, but it will cast a dividing line between those who know how to use such tools, and those who don’t. 

As such, good training makes all the difference between AI being helpful or horrible. Your team needs to know not just which buttons to click, but how to work alongside AI effectively, to prompt it capably, to understand your business values and parameters in line with this new approach, and also how to correctly understand the tool itself. 

This means understanding what AI can and can’t do well, how to spot when it’s making mistakes, and when to rely on human judgment instead. It’s important to make that training ongoing, not just a one-time thing, because AI tools keep evolving and could look entirely different two years from now.

Balance Automation With Personal Touch

Some tasks are perfect for AI automation, such as the document digitization we discussed above, but some just aren’t, or at least not yet. AI tools are very shiny and exciting right now, but it’s a mistake to think they can run your business for you, or that they need to overtake every facet.

Deft businesses know the difference here, even if it’s not always easy to strike that balancing line. Perhaps for your business, AI handles data entry and basic email responses, but important client meetings always stay person-to-person as necessary. We’re willing to bet there isn’t a law firm on Earth that will replace face-to-face consultations with an AI utility. Finding this balance helps your team focus on work that truly needs human creativity and empathy.

Keep Communication Clear About AI Use

Customers in the marketplace tend to be very suspicious of AI. They don’t like how it threatens their jobs, and they don’t want companies to treat them like data when a human interaction would be more valuable. We’ve had this conversation about self-checkout machines and at once online ordering, so while the sentiment isn’t entirely wrong, it’s liable to pass.

Right now, you really do have to be upfront with customers about how you use AI. People appreciate honesty. Tell them when they’re chatting with a bot versus a person. Explain how AI helps your team serve them better. This transparency shows you’re using AI thoughtfully, not trying to replace human connection or just trying to squeeze out optimization and cost cutting at any chance you get.

Maintain Quality Control Over AI Outputs

Even the most steadfast AI proponent and LLM engineer won’t try to suggest AI is a finished product. AI isn’t perfect, and sometimes it gets things wrong, much like humans do in fact. But because of the artificial nature of AI and the understandable nature of a human, a customer is much more likely to forgive the latter.

It’s wise to set up clear processes for checking AI work before it goes public, then. This might mean having humans review AI-generated content, double-checking AI calculations, or regularly testing automated systems. Preferably all of that and more depending on your business use case. Show your team how to spot and fix AI mistakes, so they feel confident using these tools, then those aforementioned errors are going to be less likely.

Create Space for Human Creativity

AI is great at processing data and handling routine tasks, but human creativity still leads the way and is ultimately what’s going to define your business. It’s unlikely you’re going to implement an AI CEO to make decisions about your business vision and corporate restructuring anytime soon. AI proponents are often accused of having lost their touch for humanity, but that’s not true at all.

Just make sure your team has time and space to think, create, and solve problems in their own way. For some that can mean regular brainstorming sessions without AI input, or projects where human ideas will take center stage. It’ll help you sustain the character of your brand and respect its morale.

With this advice, we hope you can avoid losing that human touch even if you go all out on AI in your firm.

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