Artificial intelligence is poised to revolutionise the way we work across a multitude of roles, including HR and Reward. While some view AI as a threat to humanity, we believe technology is an opportunity. A chance to push the boundaries of human capability.
However, history tells us we’ll only secure these benefits if we can effectively harness new technology. By working collaboratively to develop and disseminate innovative techniques and blending technological advancement with human insight.
Read on to find out more about how you can amplify your potential, leverage technology and enhance the way you deliver Reward for your organisation.
Why human connection is as important as technology
Previous technological evolutions tell us that how people use tools is as important as the technologies themselves. Because new techniques often trigger shifts in human performance to levels previously considered impossible.
In a recent article on the BBC Future website, Professor Tom Stafford reflected on three powerful examples that show what can happen to performance when a new technique is created, shared and widely adopted.
Example one – the Fosbury Flop
Dick Fosbury had been using his new and innovative backwards high jump technique, the Fosbury Flop, since 1963. However, most of the world wasn’t aware of it until the 1968 Olympics where Fosbury won gold and set a new US and Olympic record. Televised globally, the Fosbury Flop was quickly adopted by other athletes around the world pushing high jump records to new heights.
As Stafford notes: “What Fosbury did for the high jump, the internet and AI are doing for nearly every skill imaginable… Whether you want to learn to code, or just want to watch a video on how to fix your dishwasher, it’s easier than ever to copy new skills.”
Example two – home chess engines
Since the 1960s, home chess engines have made an enormous impact on the capabilities of chess players. Chess engines – computer software that analyses chess positions and generates a move or list of moves it regards as strongest – have helped players enhance their chess skills. This technology has sparked an enormous generational improvement with today’s chess players playing better chess than at any point in history.
Example three – community + technique = technology beating results
Teenager, Willis Gibson, broke Nintendo’s version of Tetris – a game that had only previously been beaten by AI and was thought to be unbeatable by a human. Willis adapted his gaming technique by holding the controller in a new way that allowed him to input commands more quickly than the traditional single finger approach. How did he learn this new tactic? By joining a community of inspiring Tetris gamers, streamers, bloggers and strategy theorists who provide a safe space to share ideas, experiment and try out new things.
Stafford believes communities like this are “living laboratories of ideas and experimentation”. Places where people can find encouragement and inspiration to try out new things and share successes.
So, what does this mean for Reward professionals?
The enormous opportunity facing Reward practitioners
Reward practices haven’t changed significantly for a long time. And new technologies are only beginning to shape the way compensation and benefits are delivered. Making Reward an area ripe for technological advancement.
To truly capitalise on this opportunity, compensation and benefits practitioners must find and shape their own communities. Create time and space to understand advances in AI and digital technologies and enhance their capabilities.
At Neovation 2024, we’ll make all of this possible by bringing together a community of thought leaders and Reward practitioners. We’ll reimagine how we use tools and technologies to effectively reward people. We’ll rethink old approaches and share new techniques. And we’ll inspire the confidence to create more effective Reward programmes that drive new levels of performance, engagement and wellbeing.
Empowering you to rethink Reward and apply technology and artificial intelligence with intelligence.