As Artificial Intelligence (AI) starts to influence society more and more, I can’t help but revisit the plot of Terminator and check exactly the path that Skynet took (my takeaway on this is beware AI developing self awareness – the progression from smart AI to sentinent AI).

But until judgement day is upon us, let’s consider how AI can positively enhance workplace strategy implementation. 

Introduction

AI is slowly but surely beginning to reshape workplace solutions, bringing new levels of precision, efficiency, and innovation to how organizations manage their spaces. From portfolio optimization to real-time decision-making AI, if used well, is a game-changer. However, the critical role of workplace consultants in ensuring the effective application of AI cannot be overstated. As with nearly all current AI strategies, the key is integrating human expertise with advanced technology. Consultants provide the strategic guidance necessary to transform AI insights into actionable workplace solutions that align with business goals. Let’s look at some examples of high impact areas. 

Data-Driven Workplace Strategies

AI excels at analyzing data to reveal patterns and insights about workplace utilization, employee behavior, and market trends. This data is vital to shape an effective workplace strategy. But simply taking an AI output and then not transforming this into actionable strategies that have “real world” application would be an immedaite red flag.

For example, AI might identify that a company’s meeting rooms are underutilized during certain hours or that hybrid work patterns are impacting office occupancy. On face value thats a simple solution; take less space and have less meting rooms. The broader organizational context though is really missing in this blunt approach. AI is currently unable to apply that subtle cultural context to what works in practical terms.

Streamlining Workplace Planning and Optimization

AI-powered tools simplify workplace planning by automating tasks such as space allocation, scenario modeling, and demand forecasting.

For instance, AI might suggest optimizing seating arrangements based on team collaboration patterns – again all data driven insights. But is this actually feasible?  What cultural constraints are in play, what business advantages are derived from ad hoc meeting and cross team collaboration? As AI learns we may be able to feed this in, but there is a big question still around cultural context in relation to AI.

One strong development area is to use AI to navigate more complex interrelated factors such as compliance with local building codes/regulations, accessibility standards, and employee well-being. This is one area where AI-driven recommendations could become more practical and inclusive.

Enhancing Portfolio and Workplace Management

In today’s dynamic work environment, organizations must continuously evaluate and adapt their workplace strategies. AI facilitates this by providing real-time insights into portfolio performance, space utilization, and operating costs. For example,  AI might identify opportunities to reduce costs by consolidating underutilized office spaces, by looking at FM delivery models to use more on demand FM services. I see the real high impact, immediate benefits in this area.  By leveraging AI insights, we can find more innovative solutions to reduce energy consumption, enhance resource efficiency, and design healthier, more sustainable work environments.

Driving Workplace Experience

Finally, and where we see the biggest current development,  AI offers unparalleled opportunities to enhance the employee experience by personalizing workplace environments. For example, AI can adjust lighting, temperature, and desk availability based on individual preferences. We’ve seen on demand coffee when you get close to a building, scheduled lunch deliveries based on meeting bookings. All great additions, yet these technologies need to be implemented thoughtfully to ensure they genuinely meet employee needs and don’t quickly become an irritation. 

 

But what about Change Management?

Effective change management programs are the cornerstone of a successful Workplace Transformation Strategy.  In designing the change management strategy, we must recognize that many are fearful of AI (its taking our jobs) and so building in the  adoption of AI in workplace solutions needs to be recognised as a critical sucess factor. A strong focus needs to be placed on buy-in and adoption of AI and ensuring that organizations are equipped to embrace AI-driven changes. 

Conclusion

AI is transforming workplace solutions, offering unprecedented opportunities for efficiency, flexibility, and innovation. However, its true potential is realized only when paired with the expertise of experienced workplace professionals. Translating AI insights into actionable strategies, managing change, and ensuring that solutions align with organizational goals and workforce needs is the new playbook for workplace consultants. 

As a takeaway an experienced delivery partner should ensure 

• AI insights are integrated into holistic workplace strategies, balancing the needs of employees, sustainability goals, and financial considerations. 
• AI driven “out of the box” solutions have organisational culture overlayed.
• The right tools are used for training employees and integrating AI into workflows.
• Challenges such as data privacy, ethical concerns, and employee resistance are addressed, helping organizations implement AI solutions in a way that enhances productivity without compromising trust.

A Consultants Tooklit

A practical approach

Some useful and easy further reading is The Little Black Book of Artificial Intelligence by Kyle Taylor. There is a section towards the end that contains really helpful considerations in designing a Change Management approach when implementing AI Solutions.

Workplace Assessment

Reproduced from The Little Black Book of Artificial Intelligence by Kyle Taylor, Byline Books, 2003.

Aimed at ensuring businesses and organisations think more broadly than profit margins when assessing their usage of Al, the workplace assessment can be used to help identify unintended consequences of incorporating Al at the expense of a human workforce. This is by no means exhaustive and these should instead be viewed as starter questions that will lead to further, sector-specific questions that should be asked until all paths are exhausted.

• Are we incorporating Al primarily as a tool for our current employees to make their work easier and more efficient, or are we replacing human talent with artificial intelligence?If it is replacing human talent, is it a form of work that was otherwise physically taxing, dangerous or beyond the scale of human ability?
• Are we worried about falling behind our competitors? Is this a possibility for open discussion with those competitors in an effort to stave off a potentially dangerous Al arms race in our sector?
• Are there any fundamental human rights considerations that we need to take into account?

A workplace Al assessment should also include a 360-degree human impact analysis that goes beyond the business itself.

This is an opportunity for a company or organisation to assessits broader societal impact, similar to considerations around climate change. The multi-tiered analysis should start with these questions:

• How will our incorporation of Al impact our staff and team members? How will we mitigate the negative effects?
• How will our incorporation of Al impact our community, our country and our world more broadly?
• Could there be intended or unintended consequences of using Al? For example, what are the broader implications of potentially making 30% of our workforce redundant?
• Finally, is our intended use of Al net positive, net neutra or net negative?

Summary: These answers to these assessment questions will greatly enhance the quality of the change management plan you develop.