How would you react to domestic violence if you were to view it as a company security issue instead of a personal problem? There is plenty of evidence that it is a workplace issue. Employers could play a role in keeping their people safe if they took it seriously as a workplace issue.
It’s easy to walk away from a conference like this one with the impression that it’s just a matter of time. On the other hand, we must also acknowledge that the AI technology we see in front of us is just OK. It’s not world-changing, and it’s sometimes downright awful. As I’ve said before, will the huge investments ever pay off? We are all waiting to see. How long will we continue to talk about the future of AI instead of how it’s changed our world?
One glaring example of this is mental health. How many of your managers have even the barest of training in how to deal with mental health issues on their team? How many have more than a cursory knowledge of what your employee assistance program offers and the requirements for accommodations for your area and industry?
I’ve got my eyes on this: Microsoft is reportedly working on a major UI improvement for its Teams services. The change is supposed to finally merge its text chats and channels into one location in the future. In all the years of being waist-deep in the Teams universe, one common thread for getting users to…
The question is, can the large tech companies come up with a clear explanation of where AI is going that will convince shareholders that there is long-term value? So far, I don’t think they have, and I say that as someone who generally likes some of the AI tools out there. I think they are reasonably helpful around the edges of my work. They cut time out of my research efforts and helped me with writing. They haven’t changed the world, and it’s not clear that they can do that in their present form. Without that, what are the billions in investment and all the electricity usage for?
Big tech will need a better answer to that question than it has, or investors will walk away even more than they did last week.
There’s a reason this is happening in Europe, and I have no doubt you’d find the same thing in the US. Our Employee Assistance programs try to help the individual when it’s the system that is the problem. You can’t solve the problem if you don’t identify it.