One of the most interesting AI startups I've run across in recent memory is Tuffy, which bills itself as an AI-powered platform for human resources. I saw their presentation at conference last week, and was blown away by the possibilities for all workers, but especially for women. There has been a lot of talk about AI and bias, and that's an issue that absolutely needs research and to be addressed, but there's also a flipside -- what if AI can reduce bias in the workforce?
Additionally, what if AI can serve as a guide and public resource for those who don't have access to mentor networks or are just starting in their careers, or looking to switch? And what if it can serve as a neutral arbiter when it comes to matters of growth and promotion? Woman are constantly told to talk up their accomplishments but then often face backlash or the "tall poppy syndrome," where people cut them down for standing out. Some women are also just uncomfortable talking about their work and other people take credit for it and get ahead. There's also a huge amount of bias among managers, many of whom get promoted for being good at their jobs or being buds with the boss, not because they have any formal training. They can simply decide that they don't like someone, for whatever reason, and ice them out.
This happened to me at a job many years ago. I was a top performer at the magazine where I was a staff writer and was even promoted to an editorial position by my boss. When he got a book deal and left, a new boss came in, and for whatever reason, I was all of a sudden persona non grata. Frustrated, I asked him to lunch and requested that he pinpoint where exactly I needed to improve. Did I need to turn in copy earlier? Was my copy all of a sudden not clean? Did I need to develop better sources? His answer -- "be less rockist." That was it. Nothing to do with my work, he just didn't like my "vibe." But fair enough, I went out of my way to write articles about pop stars that got glowing feedback, including one introducing me to her parents at an award show. And even that didn't work.
I finally just bailed on that job out of sheer frustration, and that's not uncommon. People often leave because of bad managers, and that has a huge cost for organizations. But what if there was a way to evaluate people for the quality of their work, not just whether their manager was willing to promote them? If there was a set, defined way to measure performance, not just whether someone was friends with their manager?
Very few organizations are open about their performance targets and how they measure them, and that's frustrating for so many people. They want to do good work, but no one will tell them what good work is, or how to get to the next steps in their career. AI can synthesize this data and give employees clear and actionable steps, and once they hit those milestones, they can move up. They can also match people with mentors or even serve as mentors -- people love to talk about the value of mentoring but the resources are often gatekept or vague.
Once someone has a clear set of goals and deliverables, they can focus on that work and minimize distractions. I personally feel like I have wasted a ton of time pursuing projects that have not paid off because I mistakenly thought they would, and wished that I had guidance that I should instead focus on something else that would get me to my goals faster. This would also free up more of my time outside of work to pursue hobbies and caregiving responsibilities.
If AI can help everyone understand how to be better at their jobs and identify bias in hiring and promotion, that would be a huge benefit for everyone, and a revolution in how we work.