Does your organization embrace the use of AI tools to enhance its workflows and processes? If yes, is that attitude shared by all members of your team or just a select few? And finally, do you know that to be true … or is it just a hunch?
At Alipes, we take a forward-thinking approach to AI and, in order to make sure our team is aligned, we conducted an anonymous survey to get input from the team about the use of AI in a digital marketing setting. Let’s go through what that survey looked like and get a sense of what Alipians are thinking about AI.
AI tools and use cases
What are you using? Which tool, which version, which model? With so many options and use cases for AI tools, it is necessary to get a feel for what your team is already trying out or using regularly. Some questions to ask here include:
- Which AI-powered tools are you currently using in your work?
- In what areas of your workflow do you currently incorporate AI?
The most popular type of AI used at Alipes is Large Language Models (LLMs), with ChatGPT and Gemini being the most mentioned. Tools in other areas such as image generation (Midjourney), copy editing (Grammarly), coding (Cursor), and search (Perplexity) were also mentioned.
As a project manager, my initial focus has been on using the built-in features in Google Workspace, including the notetaking and transcription capabilities of Gemini on Google Meet calls, and testing the ability to create project roadmaps by detailing the requirements, deadlines, budgets, and available resources in order to create a realistic plan.
Frequency and effectiveness of use
It’s one thing to play with a new toy and then leave it aside when the novelty has worn off, but are you building a habit and sharpening your skills with continuous application? Using any tool regularly will enable you to find patterns, efficiencies, and what works and doesn’t for your particular needs. To see not only the breadth of your team’s usage, but also its depth, consider asking the following:
- How frequently do you use AI tools?
- How effective do you find AI tools in improving your productivity?
We found that 79% of Alipians are using AI tools on a weekly basis and 36% are using it daily. Of those using AI tools at least weekly, 45% find it very effective in improving productivity and an additional 45% find it somewhat effective. As with any adoption effort, getting consistent use throughout the team is important to developing a teamwide language and set of practices.
Opportunities and concerns
As with any new technology, there are both opportunities and concerns that need to be explored and addressed. While none should be ignored, communicating internally with your team about them and the steps being taken will provide clarity and confidence in the organization’s efforts. Straightforward questions to ask here are:
- What are your primary concerns regarding the use of AI tools?
- What opportunities do you see for incorporating AI in a positive way?
At Alipes, the top three concerns about AI usage are quality and accuracy of the output, data privacy and security, and ethical considerations including copyright and bias. We also see numerous opportunities to improve our services through improving speed and efficiency of delivery, automating repetitive tasks, generating ideas for inspiration, analyzing data
for better insights, personalizing client experiences, and allowing for more cross-team collaboration.
Team member needs
Knowing what your team members think and need to be successful will help with ensuring teamwide alignment on AI usage. Be direct and ask your team:
- How well do you feel our organization is currently addressing the integration of AI?
- What training or resources would you find most helpful?
- How comfortable are you experimenting with and learning new AI tools?
Alipians feel that the agency is handling AI integration somewhat well to very well (72%) with the remaining feeling neutral (27%). When it comes to training or resources, Alipians identified a variety of things including workshops and training sessions, access to online tutorials or documentation, internal guidelines and best practices, access to specific tools, and peer-to-peer learning/mentoring.
This knowledge gives us confidence that we are on the right path and that continued communication and additional resources will keep Alipes moving forward with improved effectiveness and solutions.
Taking action
With the knowledge gained from surveying your team, the next step is to take action! One of our team members said “I would use it more if the AI tools were set up more specifically for my workload.” This aligns with the team’s identified need for internal guidelines and best practices and gives us a clear directive to provide structure and recommendations to the team for the Alipes way of using AI.
Want to learn more about our experience and how we can help your organization adopt AI for improved results? Reach out!