Artificial intelligence doesn’t have to be the bogeyman of the 21st century workplace.
Much of the discussion around AI has been about its potential cost to human employment.
But the still widely misunderstood technology certainly has its uses, and it could bring relief to some of the country’s hardest workers.
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Dr Travis Grant, managing director of health at business consultancy Accenture, says it could be a boon to burnt-out, unhappy clinicians around the country.
“It’s a really difficult time for the health system in Australia,” he said.
“A lot of clinicians have gone through a tough time in recent years.”
Part of the reason for the sector-wide burnout, he said, was that health workers too often found themselves caught up in administrative tasks, such as chasing documentation or equipment access.
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But looking around the world, he said, some health workforces were already implementing AI to great effect in cutting that red tape.
Grant said about 30 per cent of administrative nursing tasks could be automated, while tasking AI to chase equipment and supplies could improve productivity by 10 to 15 per cent – if the prompts are right.
“There are lots of very good discussions around Australia at the moment,” Grant said.
Health organisations are in the planning stages to implement the strong digital core needed for robust and responsible AI – even to the point of aiding clinicians.
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Patient histories, updating records, and coordination between hospital databases could all be streamlined by AI use, freeing up clinicians for more time with patients.
Grant said “responsible” use of AI was key.
“We have to make sure we get the security and privacy right,” he said.
While AI may be some way off in the health sector, streetwear designer and owner of not-for-profit HoMie, Marcus Crook, is already using the new tech to get ahead of the game.
HoMie, based in Sunshine, Melbourne, channels its profits into social programs to help at-risk or homeless youth.
This includes accredited retail education, internships, and HoMie’s VIP days, in which the store is open to young people connected to community support services, who can come in and get free clothes, haircuts, beauty treatments, and a feed.
As you can imagine, it’s a busy life, and for Crook, AI has been a blessing.
“At first it was just experimentation with pictures, garment types, fabrics,” he said.
Now, he’s able to use it to design concepts so he can tailor his material purchases, including “dead” stock and fabrics from other manufacturers.
“We can visualise it before it exists,” he said.
It’s also been a help when it comes to brand partnerships too, by offering the complete vision of a product from the start, as opposed to a process of drawing and sample creation.
Along with helping his creative process, the tech can also pitch in for the business side, helping analyse trends and market data.
“The more profit we make, the more purpose we create,” Crook said.
“It’s the tip of the iceberg at the moment. I’m interested to see what’s next.”
Even an industry that might be thought to fear AI the most in terms of job loss is keen to see it implemented further.
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A recent survey of IT workers in the UK, US, and India found that 58 per cent felt overwhelmed by their weighty daily task list – and that 92 per cent would welcome AI into their workplace.
On average, IT workers believe delegating tasks to AI could save them more than two hours of work during any given workday.
Four in five (83 per cent) believe it would be easy for them to offload their simpler tasks to AI. In fact, the potential of AI has caused 93 per cent of IT leaders to consider upskilling in order to leverage the technology in their day-to-day tasks.
The most commonly reported tasks IT teams are looking to offload to AI include monitoring network performance (44 per cent), basic device troubleshooting (42 per cent), and remediating basic problems (40 per cent).
With Associated Press.
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