Workhuman Turns to AI to Enhance Social Recognition Platform
Workhuman, an Irish tech company, has built a $1.2bn revenue business out of what chief executive Eric Mosley calls the “core human need to be appreciated and the corresponding need to express gratitude”.
Introducing Human Intelligence
The “social recognition” platform, where colleagues post praise for each others’ work and can recommend corresponding rewards, received an AI upgrade last month. With the click of a pen icon, users can call on a (sometimes condescending) virtual assistant to “coach” them to deliver a message with a bit more depth.
Risks of Recognition Software
Bruce Daisley, a workplace culture consultant and former Twitter executive, AI enhancements amplify existing risks of recognition software. “There are definitely benefits to these gratitude tools. By all means find ways for us to offer more kindness, more respect, more recognition,” he says. “But we don’t want to take the humanity out of heartfelt actions and I think that’s the danger.”
The Benefits of AI
AI can be surprisingly empathetic. In a Harvard Business School-led study published last month, researchers looked at how teams used AI to help them collaborate. They found people with AI assistance reported “positive emotional responses” that matched or exceeded teams without AI — and concluded the tech could “fulfil part of the social and motivational role traditionally offered by human teammates”.
AI in Action
Workhuman uses an in-house language model, trained on millions of employee messages, on top of open-source large language models. That means the AI delivers “shockingly accurate” insights for managers, Mosley says. And “with more data, the IQ of the AI gets higher”.
AI-Powered Insights
The benefit for managers is the crowdsourced data AI can deliver — from pinpointing mentors with the right skills to spotting the high-performing staff companies should retain. Kerry Dryburgh, executive vice-president for people and culture at energy group BP, says Workhuman’s software has been a “game-changer” for enabling “feedback on a continuous basis” and plans to upgrade to the AI-powered tool.
Conclusion
While AI can enhance social recognition platforms, it’s crucial to maintain the human touch. As Daisley notes, “There are organisations where this is going to be incredibly helpful and others where unfortunately it becomes another part of . . . a performative bureaucracy.”
FAQs
Q: How does Workhuman’s AI-powered platform work?
A: The platform uses a virtual assistant to coach users to deliver more effective recognition messages, and provides insights for managers to better understand employee feedback.
Q: What are the benefits of Workhuman’s AI-powered platform?
A: The platform provides better insights for managers, helps to identify high-performing staff, and enables continuous feedback.
Q: Are there risks associated with AI-powered recognition software?
A: Yes, there is a risk of losing the human touch and making recognition feel artificial or insincere.
Q: How does Workhuman’s AI-powered platform differ from other recognition software?
A: Workhuman’s platform uses an in-house language model trained on millions of employee messages, providing more accurate insights and a more personalized approach.
