By Jenny Winspear, COO, Anova

As AI continues to advance, more people are concerned about the impact it may have on the world of work. Some worry that AI will lead to laziness and a lack of human interaction, while others fear the possibility of a robot takeover(!) However, as someone who is now experimenting working closely with AI, I am excited about the opportunities it presents.

At Anova, the start-up wellbeing technology company where I work as the COO, I have started using AI to help streamline and optimise tasks. I have found that there are certain tasks that AI is well-suited for, while others require a human touch.

"the only drawbrack is the American spellings!"

One of the most obvious benefits is that it saves time. For example, I often begin my workday by checking and responding to emails. With the help of AI, I am able to copy and paste responses from GPT and send them off quickly, reducing email focus time significantly. The only drawback is the American spellings! Overall, I found using AI for administrative taskslike emails can save a lot of time and allowedme to focus on higher-value tasks.

Another area to try out is using GPT to draft copy for brochures/documents. It was able to identify key points and put them together in a logical and readable format. However, I also found downsides: there is no data or references past 2021, the output lacked personal flair, and there were no unique or interesting insights that I had not already heard. I tried to use GPT to reduce the word count in an article I had written, but it removed all of the parts which made the writing unique to my personality. I’m not sure if this critique is just because I am an English teacher’s daughter but, I would not recommend GPT for this task if you want an interesting read.

"it congratulated me on making good progress with my strategy before giving me a new set of actions, which made me smile even though it was robot praise!"

One of the most significant benefits is that it can help with planning and strategy. Anova is currently moving into the UK market, so I asked for a go-to-market strategy. GPT provided me with 10 initial actions and a 6–12-month approach that was sensibly spaced out. When I said we had already completed those it suggested, it congratulated me on making good progress with my strategy before giving me a new set of actions, which made me smile even though it was robot praise. While AI was not able to lighten my workload in this task and there was no real-time data, it did provide me with clear guidance and helpful actions to consider.

While there are certainly tasks that AI is well-suited for, there are also some areas where it falls short. For example, when it comes to building relationships, human interaction is still essential. At Anova, we pride ourselves on our customer service, and I believe that speaking with someone who fully understands your business needs is crucial so I feel we are safe in this space (for now).

Similarly, product development and testing require a human touch. We update our product every month with new releases based on feedback from our clients and current trends. I am needed to respond to client needs, come up with a way to solve them, send instructions to our developers, and then plan how to roll out the updates.

"If what you need is predictable and stable, it is, in my opinion, an incredible source for information and it is changing the way we do work."

It’s important to remember Chat GPT is just a very sophisticated algorithm, even with it’s human-like responses. If what you need is predictable and stable, it is, in my opinion, an incredible source for information and it is changing the way we do work. However, if there is any uncertainty in tasks, if you need to work in an agile way, cater to the bespoke needs of different businesses, or be innovative, there is much more value-add from human expertise and intuition. By working together with AI, we can amplify our capabilities and achieve even greater levels of success.

My Workday in the Hands of Chat GPT!

By Jenny Winspear, COO, Anova

https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt