In the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the workplace is undergoing a transformative shift, and professionals are faced with new challenges and opportunities. One individual who has delved into this realm with expertise and insight is Monique Zytnik, the Regional Lead DACH at OpenCommunication Group and an accomplished communication strategist. Monique's chapter with Matthew Lequick, "Getting Colleagues Comfortable with AI: A Human-Centered Approach to Technology in Organizations," in the book"Artificial Intelligence in Public Relations and Communications: Cases,Reflections, and Predictions," published by Quadriga University of AppliedSciences, delves into the fascinating intersection of AI and internal communication.
We had the privilege of sitting down with Monique to explore her journey, experiences, and perspectives on AI in the workplace.
Interviewer: Monique, thank you for joining us today. To start, could you share a bit about your background and what led you to explore AI in the context of internal communication?
Monique Zytnik: I love internal communication. It is about the people. It’s about conversations and shared understanding. I’m also from a science background and have worked in tech companies so I’m comfortable with technology. A realist perhaps. I can see when it works and when it just causes more headaches.
Technology is developing rapidly, and AI suddenly hit the headlines last November with ChatGPT. The whole communication industry has been grappling with what it means for our industry, and in particular content production. From an internal communication perspective, we have the impact of generative AI on our daily jobs, but we also have a duty to consider the impact on our people within our organisation.
This is where the IT, HR, and internal communication professionals need to work together on creating the best employee experience not only withhow it is used within an organisation (user experience), but also by helping people adopt the technology and overcome fear. It is a topic that is a bit likeDiversity, Equality, and Inclusion, where you have the broader change, but can also have a personal emotional connection. This makes it a little trickier because people have a real fear of losing their jobs.
Interviewer: Your chapter highlights the"human-centered approach" to AI. Can you explain what this approach entails and why it's crucial in the context of AI adoption in organizations?
Monique Zytnik: Over the past few years, particularly post-pandemic, we’ve seen a shift towards a human-centric approach not only with HR – so offering workplace flexibility, designing jobs around people, etc. but also in the way we communicate with people. It is more of an experience-focused approach and I cover this in my book StrategicInternal Communication in an Age of Artificial Intelligence, which will be published next year by Business Expert Press.
The human-centric approach follows a design thinking model, which is first and foremost based on understanding the people you are communicating with and creating a low-friction environment around that. Focusing on making things natural and easy to understand.
It is about remembering that technology can be fancy and fun, but at the end of the day, the aim is to make things easier for people. If we don’t start with the people and their needs, where they are at, then we can lose sight of what we’re actually trying to achieve with the exercise.
Interviewer: You mentioned your encounters with colleagues who are embracing AI, like Jo, Michael, and Alice. How are professionals in various fields, from PR to digital marketing, grappling with the influx of generative AI tools?
Monique Zytnik: It’s a mixed bag. Some love it and some don’t want to know. Jo, Michael and Alice are HR experts and are also looking at these topics within their organisations. From a panel discussion I recently facilitated, it became very clear from our audience that organisations are anywhere between the ‘thinking about it’ stage and actual implementation with proper policies and guidelines for staff and an adoption program.
What has really become evident is that you need to spend time learning how to drive the bus or you’ll just crash. The current thinking is that AI is great, but you need to know what prompts to use, and most importantly, understand what good looks like. Is what is coming out of the generative AI tool actually good? Probably not on the first go and it needs human work. We’re also starting to see AI products that purport to produce strategies, and AI Agents are on the way. This is where different AI tools self-organise and allocate tasks. Again, you need to know what quality and effectiveness looks like.
This is why the Microsoft Co-pilot branding is so clever. The person still really needs to be in charge. The technology helps you but can’t yet safely drive the bus by itself.
Interviewer: AI has the potential to reshape various industries. From your perspective, what role does AI play in the future of communication and PR?
Monique Zytnik: I know we’ll have the opportunity for more data-crunching power. For example, I know clients working on organisational listening tools that use AI for sentiment analysis. This is so powerful. We’ll be able to connect data hopefully more efficiently.Content will be cheaper to make and we’re already seeing copywriters and translators feeling the squeeze. Hopefully, chatbots will become even more useful and we’ll be able to find that important information hidden somewhere on our intranet.
The upside is that we’re seeing AI-powered language translation giving more accessibility to content, as is voice-activated technology. In a practical sense intranets and employee apps can now display content in any chosen language, which was financially prohibitive in the past. It still isn’t perfect, and context is everything.
The challenge we have will be content overflow. Too much noise. We’re already seeing this now, where attention is the biggest commodity.
There are also broader concerns I have around learning for different professions. For example, in the communication industry junior staff would typically learn through drafting content and strategies, and now if the drafting can be done with a few prompts, how will these people learn? I can't imagine a manager patiently improving the work that a junior has got out of a generative AI program, which the manager could easily get themselves.
Interviewer: In your chapter, you referenceMcKinsey's prediction that 75 percent of the value AI brings will primarily impact customer operations, marketing, sales, software engineering, and research and development. How can communication professionals harness this value effectively?
Monique Zytnik: From an internal communication perspective it would be working with your IT and HR teams on the digital transformation projects that include AI and will most likely impact these professions the most within an organisation. Marketing and communication being one of them.
The trick is to get started early and play. I recently heard that earlier this year there were over 6,000 different AI tools that have been identified as being helpful for the marketing and communication profession. The value comes in working out what works for what you need to do. There is a great recent summary by PR Academy Briefing:AI in PR that covers a lot of these details.
Interviewer: As a final thought, what advice do you have for your peers who are on the journey of getting comfortable withAI?
Monique Zytnik: My biggest tip is to always be curious. Talk to people, get tips from them, and think about what you don’t like doing and get AI to help you there. Also think about where you most add value and dial this up. For example, with the new Co-pilot coming out soon, meeting notes will be a breeze and I’ll be able to just focus on my meeting. A summary of the meeting and action items will pop out within seconds. I’m also a bit picture person so copyediting with AI is another thing that makes me smile. Looking forward to more of this for sure!
Monique Zytnik's insights shed light on the dynamic intersection of AI and internal communication, emphasizing the importance of a human-centred approach in leveraging AI's potential. As we navigate the evolving landscape of technology, Monique's expertise provides a guiding beacon for professionals seeking to harness AI's transformative power while staying rooted in the essence of effective communication. We thank Monique for sharing her knowledge and experiences with us today.
👉 Download your free copy of the Adi, A. (Eds., 2023) Artificial Intelligence inPublic Relations and Communications: cases, reflections, and predictions.Quadriga University of Applied Sciences. Berlin. on:https://lnkd.in/e7KQjgCB
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