Like the internet and cloud computing before it, generative AI (GenAI) is forever changing the way we work and do business, so much so that 62% of consumers would rather use a chatbot than wait to speak with a human agent. These days, a host of “virtual agents” are ready to fulfill your on-demand customer service needs—from Bank of America’s Erica, who can advise on your monthly budget, to Domino’s aptly named Dom, who can team up with Amazon’s Alexa to order your pizza. Enterprise investments in GenAI solutions reached nearly $16 billion in 2023 and are projected to increase by 30% in 2024. 

GenAI is here to stay and keeps getting smarter and more aware with every release. With these advancements comes great opportunity—but for many, it also brings great unease. As leaders, our role is to ensure we create a psychologically safe environment where people can explore GenAI’s capabilities with an eye to enhancing their job fulfillment and quality of life rather than living in fear that AI will take their jobs. 

GenAI readiness

New Udemy research shows that, unsurprisingly, the technology sector (followed by finance and professional services) is leading the way in GenAI readiness. Fifty-six percent of respondents in a 2,500-plus survey shared that they believe enterprise leadership teams in large enterprises (5,000+ employees) are fully prepared to guide them through the GenAI transformation. 

This is impressive when compared to the same stats for retail (37%), manufacturing (38%), and nonprofit (36%) sectors, while less than 40% of employees across the board feel the same way. 

Especially for leaders or frontline managers supporting nontechnical teams, the key is understanding that no matter how complex or transformative the technology, facilitating change requires knowing your people and developing the skills around the technology. 

The GenAI transformation isn’t purely a technology challenge, it’s a human one. By communicating clearly and transparently about GenAI’s potential effects on your company, you can establish or renew your team’s trust, solidify confidence in your leadership, and create buy-in for your organization’s GenAI initiatives. Similarly, by not focusing on GenAI’s change-management aspects, you risk team disengagement and a lack of meaningful adoption of potentially game-changing technology. 

So where do you start? 

Take your team’s pulse

Begin by taking your team’s pulse. What excites them about GenAI? What causes them concern? Are their concerns well-founded? If not, provide them with the facts and then get to the good stuff, like the ways in which GenAI will actually increase their capacity and productivity and give them back one of the most precious assets: time. If their concerns are valid, acknowledge them, address them, and be prepared to work through them. 

According to the World Economic Forum, 23% of positions will be added or eliminated as a result of technology changes, including AI adoption, in the coming five years. Though that might sound like a lot of change, job roles would have fluctuated even without GenAI due to other social, economic, and environmental changes. We can thoughtfully plan for and anticipate how we adapt and integrate new technologies into our workflow in ways we cannot with global pandemics. 

Be mindful of the digital divide

When thinking about how to communicate with your team, it’s critical to consider how generational differences impact people’s comfort with technology. For instance, a UN-Gallup survey showed that the greatest global generational differences are related to the digital divide, and a Consumer Affairs survey showed that baby boomers and Gen Xers feel overwhelmed by new technology, while other research suggests that Gen Z and millennials are more likely to embrace it. 

That said, Norton research shows that baby boomers are more likely to embrace tech with practical implications for daily life as seen by a 469% increase in usage of telehealth and 431% increase in app-based or online-grocery-service usage during the pandemic. The bottom line: Generations that didn’t grow up using digital technology may be more receptive to new innovation, like GenAI, if you frame it in familiar, everyday-use cases. 

Define roles, create buy-in, and onboard GenAI

When I first began playing with ChatGPT, I wasn’t sure how I would use it. Then, one day while working remotely, I began typing questions into it, speaking as I might to a colleague who was sitting in front of me, helping me think through new ideas. What resulted was a fascinating conversation that cut down on my work time and improved my end product. After becoming more familiar with the tool, I started to think of it as an ever-present thought partner, which got me thinking about how to “onboard” GenAI with nontechnical teams. I realized that integrating GenAI is not so different from adding a new team member to the mix. 

When adding a new team member, others’ responsibilities can shift based on the current need. Create clear job descriptions and performance plans to facilitate a smooth transition and ensure everyone is on the same page. 

Consider working with your team(s) to create a job description/wish list for GenAI that could inform how it is integrated into workflows moving forward. This process, called job crafting, can demystify GenAI as it increases employee investment, improves job satisfaction, encourages role fluidity, and helps create clear swim lanes for work and team members. After all, basic human psychology teaches us that humans are constantly searching for our place in order and a sense of belonging. Job crafting also helps crowdsource the best uses for new technologies, thereby reducing the company’s experimentation time and increasing adoption speed. It also gives team members a sense of ownership, feeling part of the future direction versus the direction being applied to them. 

Here are some job-crafting conversation starters to use with your team: 

• Which aspects of your current work feel tedious and/or menial?
  • Could GenAI remove these tasks from your plate? 
• Which aspects of your work are the most gratifying? 
• How do you wish GenAI would affect your daily routine? 
• If the busywork was removed, how might your role expand/what aspects of your daily life might improve?

The more things change, the more they stay the same

Importantly, GenAI transformation conversations about roles and responsibilities should also highlight what will remain constant. This may help ease fear and speed up willingness to upskill. 

If anything, GenAI creates the potential to lean further into team members’ unique talents and the chemistry that makes them tick. Hiring based on technical expertise has often been a requirement in the digital age, but GenAI creates the opportunity to prioritize hiring based on chemistry, hiring based on the unique attributes that make humans human and make them succeed as a team. 

In the end, GenAI transformation is another technology in a long line of creations, albeit likely one of the more impactful and transformational. But the secret to GenAI is in the human intelligence paired with it. By appreciating, recognizing, and amplifying this, you’ll be able to successfully lead your organization through any future change with confidence and grace. 

Genefa Murphy is chief marketing officer of Udemy.