Since the high-profile release of ChatGPT, we’ve all been inundated by stories about the inevitable rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and the potential doom and gloom of employing these tools too widely and too quickly. Headlines that portend AI applications will become sentient muddy the waters of reasonable discussion, and warnings from people like Geoffrey Hinton — the former computer scientist and ‘godfather of AI’ who quit Google to focus on the technology’s potential risks — further add to the perception that artificial intelligence and machine learning (ML) applications will grow beyond our control, replacing human jobs and eliminating entire industries. This is not only wrong and somewhat ridiculous, but it also ignores the tremendous opportunities AI can create to make our jobs and our lives more productive, more efficient, and (ironically) more human.
Although there are still several valid concerns around privacy and security with artificial intelligence utilization, there are nonetheless abundant opportunities to apply AI to almost every industry, including clinical resourcing. For these professionals, AI applications can free up resources from burdensome and repetitive tasks to enable people to focus on innovation and human-centric activities that require compassion, collaboration, and reasoning (things a machine can never learn or emulate). The idea is simple: strategically applied AI and ML applications can provide faster outcomes while reducing (not replacing) human effort. For the person-to-person based resourcing industry, specifically, there are four areas in which artificial intelligence can help deliver on this promise:
The examples above show some of the ways in which AI can support and enhance the clinical resourcing industry, but it is important to remember that all technologies are merely tools to augment human decision-making, not replace it entirely. Successful recruitment and candidate placement will always require human oversight and intervention for maintaining ethical practices and incorporating important context that is beyond a machine’s capability.
Human oversight is not only necessary for users of AI applications, but also critical for organizational leaders as they must assess the risks and benefits of applying artificial intelligence and machine learning tools into the workplace. The long-term effects of AI on life science business processes and operations are still largely unknown, and IT Leaders must proceed cautiously as they navigate regulatory uncertainty, the potential for data breaches, and the numerous ways in which bad actors can exploit systems for nefarious purposes before implementing any AI/ML applications into their organization.
Technology and HR leaders should determine who in the organization is using AI tools currently, and for what purpose. Leaders will also want to determine how best to protect enterprise data if/when employees are utilizing artificial intelligence and how then to manage security risks of the underlying technology. The bottom line is that it is incumbent upon leaders to have a balanced discussion of the potential benefits and risks of these technologies in advance of their use. Artificial intelligence is undoubtedly here; we must now learn how to use it properly and securely.
As discussed, there are numerous opportunities to apply artificial intelligence to several industries — including clinical resourcing — that promise to save time and make human work more productive. By freeing up employee time through automated assistance, AI applications have the potential to make us more human in the transactional world in which we live — a future state worth striving for, not one to be afraid of.