That’s according to Hope Lukoto, chief human resource officer at BCX, who points out that while AI promises a plethora of business benefits, responsible use of the technology is key to unlocking its full potential.

AI bias, also referred to as machine learning bias or algorithm bias, refers to AI systems that produce biased results that reflect and perpetuate human biases within a society, including historical and current social inequality.

“Artificial intelligence can transform our lives for the better. But AI systems are only as good as the data fed into them.”

“Fundamental principles guiding ethical AI encompass transparency, the ability to provide explanations, fairness, non-discrimination, privacy, and the safeguarding of data,” says Lukoto.

According to Accenture, AI brings unprecedented opportunities to businesses, but also incredible responsibility. The consultancy firm notes that AI’s direct impact on people’s lives has raised considerable questions around AI ethics, data governance, trust and legality.

If not correctly implemented, AI can inadvertently lead to far reaching biases, Lukoto says. She explains that AI bias refers to the presence of systematic and unfair discrimination in the outcomes produced by AI systems.

“Bias can emerge from the data used to train these systems, the algorithms themselves, or a combination of both.

“Addressing AI bias is an ongoing challenge that requires careful consideration of data selection, algorithm design, and ongoing monitoring to ensure that AI systems are fair, transparent, and accountable,” she says.

An example of where AI showed bias was when Amazon implemented an automated recruitment system, which was intended to evaluate applicants based on their suitability for various roles. However, as it turned out, the system showed bias against women.

The AI platform learned the ability to assess the suitability of individuals for a particular role by analysing resumes from past candidates. Because women had previously been underrepresented in technical roles, the AI system thought that male applicants were consciously preferred. Amazon later ditched the tool in 2017.

In healthcare, the insufficient representation of women or minority groups in data can distort the outcomes of predictive AI algorithms. For instance, computer-aided diagnosis systems have demonstrated lower accuracy in results for black patients compared to white patients.

“Businesses cannot derive advantages from systems that yield skewed outcomes and contribute to distrust among individuals from diverse backgrounds, including people of colour, women, individuals with disabilities, the LGBTQ community, and other marginalised groups,” Lukoto states.

She urges that implementing ethical AI is an ongoing process that requires collaboration, vigilance, and a commitment to addressing potential ethical challenges throughout the AI lifecycle.

By integrating these strategies, organisations can develop and deploy AI systems that prioritise fairness, transparency, and accountability.

Implementing ethical AI involves a thoughtful and comprehensive approach throughout the entire development lifecycle.

Organisations must consider appointing an external AI ethics advisory board who can help them define the values of AI before implementation.

Establishing an AI ethics advisor is crucial for promoting responsible and ethical AI practices. By incorporating ethical considerations from the outset, organisations can contribute to the development of AI technologies that benefit society while minimising potential harms.

An AI ethical advisor is also key in promoting transparency in AI development and communicating openly about ethical considerations. This helps build trust with users and the wider community.

Organisations can also establish internal ethics committees or advisory boards to provide guidance on ethical considerations throughout AI projects.

Another consideration centres on comprehensive AI training within the organisation. Implementing ethical AI requires a combination of foundational knowledge, practical skills, and a commitment to ethical principles.

The training can delve into foundational ethical principles such as transparency, fairness, accountability, and privacy.

Training can also be useful to employees in helping them to recognise the potential biases in AI algorithms and their impact on different demographic groups; as well as providing strategies for identifying, measuring, and mitigating bias in AI systems.

Ethical implementation of AI also requires organisations to stay up to date with regulations governing the technology.

Adherence to AI regulations ensures that organisations operate within the bounds of the law. Failure to comply may result in legal consequences, fines, or other regulatory actions.

In South Africa, the Information Regulator is already having discussions to find ways to regulate AI as well as generative AI technologies such as ChatGPT.

In the US, the White House in October issued an Executive Order on safe, secure and trustworthy AI and a blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights.

The use of AI in the European Union (EU) will be regulated by the AI Act, which it says is the world’s first comprehensive AI law.

With all these laws coming, Lukoto says staying up to date with AI regulations is not only a legal requirement but also a strategic imperative for organisations. “It helps them build trust, avoid risks, foster responsible AI practices, and remain competitive in a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape.”

Lukoto concludes: “Avoiding AI bias and implementing AI ethically are essential for promoting fairness, trust, legal compliance, and positive societal impact. It is not only a moral imperative but also a strategic necessity for organisations aiming to build sustainable, responsible, and widely accepted AI solutions.”

This is primarily because companies that do not retain or attract new customers will simply not stay afloat.

A customer-centric organisation is one that places the customer at the core of its operations, strategies, and decision-making processes.

In a customer-centric organisation, the customer’s needs, preferences, and satisfaction take precedence over other factors.

The primary focus of such an entity is creating value for customers, building strong relationships, and delivering exceptional experiences throughout the entire customer journey.

Technology has enabled companies to gather vast amounts of customer data, allowing them to personalise products, services, and marketing messages.

Customers now expect tailored experiences that cater to their preferences and needs. This ranges from personalised product recommendations to targeted email marketing.

Social media platforms have given customers a powerful voice. They can easily share their experiences, both positive and negative, with a wide audience.

Companies need to actively engage with customers on social media and address their concerns promptly to maintain a positive brand image.

It is also important to note that customers no longer interact with businesses through a single channel. They expect a seamless experience across multiple touchpoints, whether it’s a website, social media, mobile app, chat, or in-store.

In this digital era, companies are now challenged to provide consistent and integrated experiences to their customers.

In essence, technology has transformed customer expectations from being focused solely on the product or service itself to encompassing the entire customer journey, from pre-purchase research to post-purchase support.

“With the advent of smartphones and high-speed internet, customers have come to expect instant gratification. They need quick responses, fast services, and seamless experiences. This has led to the rise of on-demand services, same-day delivery, and instant customer support through channels like live chat and social media,” says Hope Lukoto, Chief Human Resource Officer at BCX.

Businesses that successfully adapt to these changing expectations by leveraging technology can build strong customer relationships and gain a competitive edge.

With all these new changes brought by technological advancements, it is vitally important that companies create a digitally enabled workforce, Lukoto emphasises.

As consultancy firm Deloitte puts it: “To successfully ride this wave of change, companies need to continuously evaluate how digital disruption is changing customer behaviour, rethink their customer engagement model to leverage disruptive technologies, and redesign employees’ roles to form customer success capability that maximises value for customers and enables an enhanced experience for them.”

According to Lukoto, creating a customer-centric and digitally enabled workforce involves a strategic approach that encompasses culture, skills, processes, and technology.

With technology advancing at an unprecedented pace, a digitally enabled workforce can easily adapt to new tools, software, and processes, ensuring that the organisation remains competitive and innovative.

Another benefit of creating a tech-savvy workforce is that digital tools and automation can significantly enhance efficiency and productivity.

In that vein, a digitally literate workforce can leverage these tools to streamline processes, reduce manual tasks, and focus on more value-added activities.

The digital workplace encompasses the entirety of technologies employed by your staff for work purposes, ranging from human resources and customer relationship management software to e-mail communication.

Many organisations currently use a diverse array of digital solutions to facilitate their tasks, enabling the establishment of a more efficient digital workplace setting.

In reality, formulating a well-defined strategy for transforming the digital workplace has proven beneficial for numerous organisations, yielding quantifiable results in their endeavours to modernise their operational environment.

“By equipping employees with digital skills and integrating technology seamlessly, organisations can achieve enhanced efficiency, improved customer experiences, and increased innovation,” says Lukoto.

“This transformation fosters adaptability to technological changes, facilitates collaboration across geographies, and supports remote work arrangements. Moreover, a digitally literate workforce enables data-driven decision-making, leading to strategic insights and improved agility. With a strong foundation in technology, companies can attract and retain top talent, align with evolving customer expectations, and maintain a competitive edge in an increasingly digital world,” she concludes.

Over the past three years, Human Resources (HR) has become a central player in curating the culture of the organisation, but in a way that goes beyond processes. Today, it is the role of a juggler – ensuring the balls of remote work, wellness, connectivity, technology, and uncertainty are deftly kept in the air while ensuring employee retention and engagement remain high.

According to the State of HR report, HR practitioners are also increasingly focused on how they can embed the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) into the business as these are integral to building a better work culture.

This is the sentiment shared by the Future of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 2022 report by HR Research which underscored the importance of incorporating DEI initiatives in building stronger relationships and driving success.

However, the report also revealed a landscape of DEI complexity. Companies are finding it difficult to create mature DEI programmes with only 9% stating that their DEI initiatives are highly effective.

The challenges inhibiting organisational immersion are limited leadership prioritisation (43%), poor metrics (41%) and a lack of training (41%).

This is despite the fact that DEI is a proven value-add for the organisation – research by the CEPR found that DEI is ‘positively associated with seven out of eight measures of future profitability, such as return on assets, return on sales’. It is linked to higher profits and valuation measures and has a long-term impact on the culture of the organisation.

Which means, HR has to evolve its approaches to bring about more engaging and cohesive policies that attract and retain talent within the organisation. Many companies are still in the process of rebuilding their workforces thanks to the Great Reshuffle, Quiet Quitting and other workplace phenomena that have defined the landscape since the pandemic.

HR is critical to ensuring that the culture of the company and the policies that shape it are cemented in DEI principles that are upheld throughout the business, especially by leadership.

The first step is to recognise that DEI is not defined by metrics and quotas. It is a shift in how the organisation thinks, and this is a far more significant shift than many companies realise. Entrenched beliefs, a lack of understanding across cultures, different age groups and perspectives are all important to the business and not, as has been seen in the past, deviations from the so-called norm.

It is this diversity that can fundamentally change the success of a business and its approaches to customers and innovation, but it is equally this diversity that’s traditionally not aligned with the perceptions of the C-Suite.

HR’s role here is to work with the C-Suite to find meaningful ways of driving DEI and overcoming legacy beliefs and approaches.

HR professionals are also key to building a DEI culture through technology. This plays a pivotal role in helping HR and leadership truly empower employees and build more inclusive environments within which DEI principles can thrive.

The right technology will ensure rich collaboration between the HR team and the DEI team with shared policies and approaches that operate outside the traditional silos.

DEI cannot be pursued by one team, it has to be a collaborative and cohesive effort that shifts it out from under metrics and KPIs added to either HR or DEI team profiles and makes it an active part of the organisation. It’s how HR recruits talent, recognises value, embraces diversity, and creates sustainable change.

Moving forward, HR has to create strategic plans that centre DEI as more than an objective, reframing it as a culture of equity and equality that empowers employees and upholds an ongoing commitment to diversity.

This is mainly because the world of work, as we used to know it, has drastically changed since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted the traditional functions of HR.

Following the outbreak, there was the emergence of trends such as remote work and hybrid work, leading to a complete rethink of HR management. More than ever before, HR has become a critical function at the core of every enterprise and has been at the forefront of this digital revolution.

Amid these rapid shifts in the workplace, Hope Lukoto, Chief Human Resource Officer at BCX, says technology will continue to reshape HR by automating tasks, improving decision-making through data analysis, enhancing employee experiences, and adapting to the evolving needs of the modern workforce.

The specific technologies that will impact human resources (HR) may vary based on organisational needs, industry trends, and the level of technological adoption.

“However, it’s clear that a combination of these technologies has the potential to reshape how HR functions are managed and how employees are engaged and developed within organisations,” says Lukoto.

In this article, Lukoto shares six technologies that will have an impact on HR:

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML):

In the olden days HR managers used to grapple with cumbersome and time-consuming paper-based recruitment processes to select the ideal candidate. However, this is changing, thanks to emerging technologies such as AI and ML.

AI can be used to automate tasks like candidate screening, analysing resumes, and predicting employee turnover. This will, in turn, free up the time for HR professionals to focus on more important tasks such as developing strategy or decision-making.

On the other hand, machine learning algorithms can provide insights into employee behaviour and performance, aiding in decision-making.

2. Big Data and Analytics:

Data has frequently been touted as the new gold because of the massive value that organisations can derive from it. In that vein, HR experts can also unlock the value of data to streamline their roles.

HR professionals can leverage data analytics to gain insights into workforce trends, performance metrics, and engagement levels. This data-driven approach helps in making informed decisions and developing effective HR strategies.

For example, internet search giant, Google uses a data-driven approach to collect and analyse vast amounts of employee data to optimise its hiring processes, improve employee engagement, and enhance overall workplace satisfaction.

3. Human Capital Management (HCM) Software:

Human Capital Management (HCM) software refers to a set of integrated tools and applications designed to help organisations effectively manage and optimise their workforce-related processes. Such tools automate and streamline many administrative tasks, such as employee data management, payroll processing, and leave tracking.

HCM software is critical in that it frees up HR managers’ time, allowing them to focus on more strategic and value-added activities.

In summary, HCM software is a powerful tool that empowers HR managers to handle their responsibilities more efficiently, make strategic decisions based on data insights, and create a positive and productive work environment for employees.

4. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality:

For HR practitioners, these technologies can be used for immersive employee training, onboarding simulations, and creating engaging experiences for learning and development.

According to the Society of Human Resource Management, VR and augmented reality are now playing increasingly growing roles in training, hiring and management skills development.

VR technology enables potential candidates to simulate the experience of working in particular roles or within specific companies. After individuals are hired, employers can utilise the technology to deliver training within scenarios that closely resemble real-life situations.

As an example, US-based retail giant Walmart deployed virtual reality to simulate training scenarios for employees, especially in areas like customer service and management. The retailer says this helps employees develop their skills in a controlled virtual environment before applying them in real-life situations.

5. Chatbots and Virtual Assistants:

Tech-savvy HR experts are already making use of chatbots and virtual assistants to make their lives easier and simultaneously streamline their professions.

Among other benefits, virtual assistants help HR managers streamline candidate screening, resume parsing, and initial interviews. They can also assist candidates, employees, and managers around the clock, ensuring that inquiries and requests are addressed promptly, even outside regular office hours.

Overall, HR chatbots and virtual assistants offer a cost-effective and efficient way to enhance HR operations, improve user experiences, and free up HR professionals to focus on strategic initiatives.

6. Gamification

Gamification is the integration of game elements and mechanics into non-game contexts to engage users and drive specific behaviours. When applied to recruitment processes, gamification can have several significant impacts.

For instance, traditional recruitment processes can be monotonous and overwhelming for candidates. Gamification injects an element of fun and interactivity, making the experience more engaging and enjoyable.

This can attract a wider pool of candidates and keep them actively participating in the recruitment process.

Deloitte, as an example, uses a gamified assessment centre called “The Greenhouse” to evaluate candidates for various roles. Candidates are presented with real-world business challenges and work in teams to solve them. This approach assesses skills like teamwork, problem-solving, and critical thinking while providing a glimpse into Deloitte’s work culture.

“Technology has become an integral part of modern HR practices, offering HR managers the tools and insights needed to navigate the complexities of workforce management, talent acquisition, and employee engagement in an ever-evolving business environment,” Lukoto concludes.