4 ways artificial intelligence is enhancing digital workplaces

AI: Saying no to fear and yes to functionality

We are entering into an era where automation will be expected. Employees will expect to have relevant news at the top of their news feed, they will expect to be able to search with a few keywords and for their computer to anticipate the results they need. At the roots of this expectation are the advances in Artificial Intelligence that are making it possible.  

Changing mindsets

Since the term was first coined in 1956, Artificial Intelligence has been the subject of fear, fantasy, and extensive research. What began in the imagination of Sci-Fi novelists and filmmakers is rapidly becoming reality. Far from the dystopian future envisioned by the likes of Stanley Kubrick, AI is already being used to improve our day-to-day lives, anticipate our needs and save us time and money. Your smartphone, your car, your bank, and your house all use AI and now your digital workplace will too.

AI in the workplace

Over the last year, discussion surrounding the use of AI in a workplace setting has heated up. Indeed, more than a quarter of workers surveyed in a recent study by Gartner cited AI as having the greatest potential to transform their workplace. As commentators offer predictions and predications on how AI will be deployed to enhance user experiences, intranet providers have been working on practical implementation. Below we outline four ways AI is being used to improve the digital workplace experience.

#1. Tailoring your user experience to you

Even the most technologically adverse laggards will have been exposed to AI in the form of recommendations. Be it recommended purchases on Amazon, recommended videos on YouTube, or a Spotify account that knows to suggest 70’s Disco in the morning and Prog Rock at night; these features all rely on AI to learn your habits and predict your needs.

In a digital workplace environment, the same technology is being used to bring content that relates to you, to you. Using insights generated from the analysis of pseudonymized (anonymous) user data, your intranet will be able to predict and surface the content most relevant to each user at the time they are most primed to engage with it. Think recommended posts, relevant news, popular comments; AI will use information on your previous transactions and preferences to predict your behavior and bring you more of the content you’re interested in. The result? A superior user experience tailored to the individual that promotes increased adoption and engagement.

#2. Breaking the language barrier: using AI to enhance multilingual capabilities

As business becomes ever more borderless, the need for a multilingual intranet and internal communications solution become increasingly imperative. A digital workplace is designed to remove geographical barriers and promote collaboration across borders. After all, what use is a unified hub of information if your employees in America and their Chinese counterparts are not able to access the same content? 

Already recognized for its award-winning multilingual capabilities, Unily is embracing advances in AI to develop its custom-built multilingual and translation system even further. Rapid progress in AI in the field of language mean that programs are now able to recognize what we mean, rather than what we say. This distinction is of great importance especially when it comes to translating niche colloquialisms or industry-specific language. By integrating existing custom-built multi-lingual capabilities with sophisticated natural language processing, it is possible to increase the precision of translations, creating a superior multilingual platform tailored for cross-border employee collaboration. The result is a multilingual platform that truly delivers one fit for all.

#3. AI and analytics: optimizing performance management with AI

The finest application of AI in the business landscape is undoubtedly its advanced analytic capabilities. AI programming and more specifically, prediction models, help leaders make better employee, customer and production decisions based on both existing circumstances and AI-predicted future events.

The reason companies like Facebook have been able to make such great advances in AI technology is their access to big data. Machine learning relies on training and training relies on human interaction. The more data you have access to, the more patterns can be analyzed, and this leads to the rapid development of machine intelligence. With 2.23 billion active users, Facebook has the ability to analyze massive amounts of user data to build a complex understanding of user behavior.

Unily captures data from more than 2 million users, specific to the industry of intranets. This provides a vast amount of information on how employees from a variety of verticals interact with their digital workplace. This data can be used to provide unique multi-dimensional analysis, allowing organizations to optimize performance management, measure awareness and engagement of their operations. In real terms, AI analytics will provide substantiated insight into the way your employees are interacting with their digital workplace, giving you the information you need to refine your engagement strategy more than ever before.

#4. Bots with brains: intelligent conversation with chatbots

The final jewel in the AI crown is the chatbot. Heralded as the customer service savior, chatbots have the ability to reduce time spent answering simple, repetitive queries, allowing humans to spend more time on more complex, creative endeavors. Applied to the digital workplace experience, chatbots will soon be available to answer simple questions such as ‘What are my notifications?’ or ‘Are there any important announcements for me?’. This does two things: firstly, it makes finding information easier, freeing up time to spend on more valuable, productive endeavors; and secondly, it improves the user experience, making it more interactive and translating into greater adoption of the system.

Impact the productivity of your employees

AI integration allows us to take the best features of a digital workplace – collaboration, customization, and analytics – and make them even better. It’s not scary, it is complex, and it will deliver a more tailored, intelligent and automated user experience that will noticeably impact the productivity of your employees.

For more information on how AI and the digital workplace can truly transform your business, get in contact with Unily today.