Adaptive Technology – The Future is Now
By Chantelle Painter, Consultant and Business and Relationship Development Professional
In a conversation with Michael Smith-Knutsen, Director of IT Operations for Canada ICI Capital Corporation, we explored the future that is now for adaptive technology. Organizations are leveraging technology advancements to adapt to changing markets and to support employees in a more wholistic way, not just in the future but now.
AI Can Help Articulate a Vision and Thoughts
We started our discussion with ChatGPT, a popular chat bot and content creation tool. While a chat bot cannot replace the jobs of writers or creators, it most certainly is having an impact. Using ChatGPT and other AI creation tools has changed the face of work and will continue to do so.
Example:
Michael suggests that, when organizations hire individuals who have a specific knowledge or vision, data or thought expression shouldn’t be a barrier. AI can be used as a tool to articulate a vision and to write out thoughts in a barrier-free way.
Text-to-Speech to Deliver Presentations
Expanding the use of AI to improve speech-to-text or text-to-speech functions is also becoming more and more useful. While speech-to-text and text-to-speech is more commonly associated with people who require sight accommodations, it can also be used by people who would like to vocalize their work yet do not feel comfortable doing so.
Example:
Text-to-speech audio can be added to a presentation, such as a PowerPoint. It can be recorded and delivered without the presenter having to be front and centre and without having to rely on a facilitator.
AI Enables Work Tasks
Michael also mentioned that Copilot by Microsoft can be used for programming or to compile and manipulate data. Again, this doesn’t mean that programmers, writers, and editors are no longer needed, only that people can be supported by technology that was built to enable.
Example:
Copilot can be used to assist a person with dyslexia to write and edit, and it can be paired with a screen reader in other Microsoft programs.
Embrace Technology to Support Teams and Boost Sustainability
We live in a time and place where technology is improving by the minute, and new releases and upgrades are completed in real time. Technological advancements will surely touch each job and, most likely, have already supported them.
Even the ability to do research from the palm of your hand and answer messages while out of the office has been culture shifting. The key is to use those advancements in a way that effectively supports your teams to achieve your unified goals.
The organizations that embrace the advancement of technology and use it to ensure their workforce is properly supported and enabled to succeed on every level are also boosting their sustainability. Technology has supported our moves to remote work, time efficiencies, improved communications, and establishing connections more purposefully and with better outcomes. Now and in the future, our workplaces—and our outcomes—will continue to be shaped by the technology we embrace.