Briana went to an online meeting. Her team mate sent his robot

Recently, something odd happened to Briana Blackett. She was attending a meeting to give a producer some content feedback, which isn’t unusual in her volunteer work as a disability advocate. But what unfolded after she logged onto Zoom made the veteran international journalist question professional etiquette and how artificial intelligence could change the future of work.

“You could see my face on screen, you could see the project manager’s face on screen. But in place of the producer, we had an AI note taker. We started the meeting talking to the robot, saying, ‘Here are some messages we’d like you to send back to your human’ and ‘human, if you’re listening, please jump on now because these are things we need to have a nuanced discussion about’,” said Blackett, FW’s Head of Content. 

After about ten minutes instructing the notetaker like a junior staff member reporting back to its boss, they texted the producer to ask if he was coming. He appeared within seconds and they got on with the meeting – but the interaction left Blackett confused. 

“I thought, ‘Oh wow, is this the done thing now?’ And if so, this is not good. You need to communicate in advance. It prompted me to think, in what scenario is it okay to send a robot? What’s the process you should be undertaking in order to clear that with everyone? What’s the AI etiquette here?” 

“Perhaps we need to start setting up some kind of etiquette process in how we decide when it’s okay to send a robot.”

University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Business School Associate Professor Robyn Johns can already see artificial intelligence changing the unwritten rules for workplaces. However, she believes we need to be mindful about how and when we’re adopting new processes.

“Just because the tools are available doesn’t mean you should automatically use them. We need to start considering whether it’s appropriate in all circumstances,” said Associate Professor Johns. “Things like digital notetakers or recording meetings, you should be giving people a heads up. They certainly change expectations about how we engage in those meetings.” 

In July, a global survey of more than 3,000 cyber security professionals found that while 81 percent believe employees in their organisation use AI, only 28 percent have a formal, comprehensive policy in place. It is this lack of policy – which could speak to a lack of forethought – that worries Associate Professor Johns. 

“AI can either reinforce or potentially erode trust within an organisation. [It’s] about the transparency associated with how we utilise or implement these types of tools. Having consultations and discussions around how it’s going to be used. Seek clarity around [how your staff feel] because it might be that some people perceive it as a control mechanism rather than a productivity enhancer.” 

For Blackett, a ‘proud Gen Xer’ who can clearly recall how email transformed professional etiquette decades ago, human communication is key to ensuring we reap the benefits of AI while not leaving others out in the cold.

“This is the latest technological advance, but there is also going to need to be some social construction around it. Perhaps we need to start setting up some kind of etiquette process in how we decide when it’s okay to send a robot. Sending it to a client requiring a complex and nuanced discussion… probably isn’t ideal.”