By the time ChatGPT was just two months old, it was already the fastest-growing software application in history, gaining over 100 million users in that time. It took Tiktok nine months to reach that many users and Instagram two and a half years.
It spurred the development of a number of competing products including Google’s Bard now known as Gemini and Microsoft Copilot which is based on GPT-4.
In the last 14 months, people have flocked to ChatGPT to improve their productivity, whether that’s at home with holiday planning or recipe building, or now in the workplace with AI being used to help with more mundane and repetitive tasks. The world of AI is helping to promote new careers such as prompt engineering, AI generated material reviewers and moderators, regulators and ethicists, all making sure that the output is accurate and not misleading.
But we have seen technological change before – where technology improves our life, not worsens it. From the Spinning Jenny to the light bulb, from the telephone to the smartphone – every invention since the Industrial Revolution has quickly transformed our actions and many have changed our society deeply. AI is the same, maybe the change is faster but as with all new ‘big things’ in technology, the principles are the same.
At Prosperity 24/7, our role is to make lives easier through technology. To free up minds to create and innovate and inspire our clients to work in better and more efficient ways. Embracing AI is the next stage in that evolution. With Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft’s AI tool, we are learning the new capabilities it can bring us in transforming our everyday experience.
As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, we are helping our clients to make the most of Copilot and AI in the workplace. For us, this is about putting people first, delivering technology solutions that work the way people work and helping our clients adapt to this new way of working without trepidation or anxiety. It is not just about investing in new technology but ensuring that we take our colleagues with us on this journey of change. It’s also for business leaders to see their return on investment in their software licence investments, to remain competitive in the marketplace as well as ensuring their teams are AI skilled and able.
We are supporting our clients to use Copilot to help them to solve everyday business challenges in the best way possible and free teams up to be more productive, more effective and more creative.
To ensure this happens successfully, we look at the way people work. Not everyone can adapt to change in the same way. Some people are fearful of it, while others embrace it. This is where a sense of community and effective communication is really important. Our Learning and Engagement team can support your business to drive change by focussing on how people use technology and by celebrating and sharing the successes.
Any new technological change programme should take the following steps to ensure success and Return on Investment:
- Agree the approach – who are the key stakeholders? Do we have a mix of departments and levels represented across the business, along with executive sponsorship?
- Business Scenarios – where and how will we use it in practice? Where will it have the most impact? What are the business scenarios and processes that can be improved with Copilot and AI? How can we use the technology to solve these challenges? How we will measure the success? Who are our early adopters?
- Communications and Training – How do we ensure we bring everyone along with us? Who will our change champions be to help us drive this change in our business practices? How do we communicate the successes we have had with Copilot and share these with our colleagues. What do our company wide communications to introduce new technology look like?
- IT and Social Governance – what does our implementation plan look like? What measures and security do we have or need to put in place to ensure a safe and secure deployment?
Anyone can purchase a licence and play with AI but the only way you will have success and gain the productivity benefits is by upskilling your people and bringing them with you on the journey.
In the words of Henry Ford, “The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave is not training them and having them stay.”
Find out more about how we can get your business ready for Microsoft 365 Copilot here
This article first appeared in the Jersey Evening Post Worklife Supplement on 10 June 2024
