Article contribution by Esther Spring, the Skills & Training Lead AI and Digital Practice at The Open University, exclusively for The Executive Magazine.
How do you feel about Generative AI, does your heart sink, do you disengage or are you enthusiastic and constantly finding new ways to use it?
Take a moment to really think about how you feel about it and write down the first three things that come to you. Ask yourself what does this mean for me as a leader, and what does this mean for those I lead?
My three – it’s just another technology; not everyone cares or will use it in a work context; it really helps me day to day, and sometimes it’s quite fun. If you’re a Bridgerton fan or LinkedIn user maybe you had a go at generating your Verizon Bridgerton AI character or the coauthor – Your 2024 LinkedIn Rewind?
However, if you did, I wonder if you stopped think about data protection, privacy and copyright considerations. My Bridgerton character I happily shared on social media, the LinkedIn review I chose not, the summary was incorrect – my Top Quote – was not mine.
Generative AI like all technology has issues, not least it does not always get things right. Many of us on a daily basis are trying to navigate what it means for you and your organisation. The legal and ethical considerations are complex, the cost for some is prohibitive, the impact on people – they need rapidly be upskilled, and many are scared their jobs will go. How do you know what your customers want, and how they will engage with it. We are all facing these challenges, while knowing that Generative AI is also creating opportunities and potentially significant benefits to improve our lives for the good.
Like all technology, we will see advancements in areas such health care, public services and education which will have a positive impact. Yet there will always be an inequity at individual and organisational levels, of those who can afford the technology and develop the skills to use it, and those who cannot.
The digital divide is growing, and digital inclusion is a critical area to ensure you are developing strategies to address this. The Lloyds Bank 2024 Consumer Digital Index report highlights that ‘Just 48% of the labour force can do all 20 work tasks’[1] identified in the Future.now Essential Digital Skills for Work, which does not include the specific considerations for working with Generative AI.[2]
When we think of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, immediately Climate change jumps to the forefront, and we cannot underestimate the impact Generative AI has on the environment, the power and water required to run the data centres and train and deploy models, can generate in excess of 552 tons of carbon dioxide.[3]
Many of us in reality have little control over the requirements for Generative AI to operate, but what we do all have influence over ensuring those within our workforce have access to quality education (developing their skills and capabilities) and decent meaningful work, that can help to reduce inequalities, and the digital divide.
This requires the ability to really listen to your workforce and understand how Generative AI can make a difference to their roles for the better. Yes, some jobs will disappear, or be replaced, this is something that cannot be avoided, and we will have difficult decisions to make. While some of your workforce will have the ability to adapt and evolve their roles, others will not, these are the people who potentially will be left behind, and struggle to develop the skills required.
It is important not to fall into the thinking that it will be the older generation who can’t adapt, as I have to point out, I’m 50, and I was involved in the development of a lot of the technology and ways of working we use daily. However, we do need to consider that people will be working longer, and with that we have to be mindful that it is not just about the ability to use the technology, but genuinely our ability to process things changes, and we may need adaptions to support this.
At the other end of the spectrum, you cannot assume those starting in the workplace are going to have the skills and aptitude you require. The inequity in the education system is vast, both in terms of access to equipment and qualified teaching staff.
Therefore, you have to take a human centre approach to adopting and developing your workforce. This means really listening to understand the requirements and asking more questions. I spend all day with our digital and data leaders, global technology companies and academics, but it is often the conversation from the least likely people I gather the most useful insights, like our Estates team, my carpenter and quite often my children.
To harness the opportunities and develop your workforce, seek inspiration from all areas of your organisation, and really think about the question I posed at the start – What does Generative AI mean to me?
To find out more about GenAI, adult learning and skills development, I recommend watching the recording from the GenAI: Adult Learning and Skills Conference hosted at The Open University as part of the Milton Keynes AI Festival.
References:
- 2024 UK Consumer Digital Index and Essential Digital Skills report – p50 –https://www.lloydsbank.com/assets/media/pdfs/banking_with_us/whats-happening/lb-consumer-digital-index-2024-report.pdf – Accessed 29/01/25
- 2024 UK Consumer Digital Index and Essential Digital Skills report – p93 –https://www.lloydsbank.com/assets/media/pdfs/banking_with_us/whats-happening/lb-consumer-digital-index-2024-report.pdf – Accessed 29/01/25
- Explained: Generative AI’s environmental impact – MIT News – https://news.mit.edu/2025/explained-generative-ai-environmental-impact-0117 – Accessed 29/1/15
