How AI Chatbots are Revolutionizing Workplace Communication

Workplace communication is an inseparable part of our daily routine. Internal communication ensures that every team member is on the same page and working towards the same goal. Despite the necessity of internal communication, it is a rather time-consuming task. According to McKinsey Global Institute analysis, people spend approximately 28% of their work time on emails and internal communication. It is a tedious process that requires our attention since we want to remain professional but engaging. This duty comes to you despite your position, whether you are an engineer, team lead, delivery manager, or CTO. 

Yet technologies move on and provide us with innovative solutions like AI-powered chatbots. Chat GPT has become a buzzword since its release day and has 13 million daily visitors as of 2023. This neural network understands and responds to human language thanks to Natural Language Processing (NLP), which makes it sound human-like. This tool has already become the best friend of many users, saving their time and nerves and opening possibilities to focus on something more complex. But do chatbots improve our everyday work life?  

In this article, we will explore how Chat GPT can be used for internal communication, its benefits, and the ethical concerns surrounding its use.

How does Chat GPT work?

To understand the benefits of using an AI chatbot you should understand how it works in the first place. ChatGPT is a language model created as a spinoff of InstructGPT, which introduced a novel approach to training language models using human feedback. The approach is called Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF). The RLHF approach involves three main steps. 

The first step is Supervised Fine Tuning (SFT). The GPT-3 model is fine-tuned using a supervised dataset of 13,000 input/output samples created by 40 contractors who were asked to provide appropriate responses to prompts collected from actual user entries into the Open API.

The second step is training a Reward Model, which is used to leverage Reinforcement Learning in step three. Labelers are asked to rank the outputs generated by the SFT model for a single input prompt. These rankings are used to train the reward model.

The final step is the Reinforcement Learning Model. The model is presented with a random prompt and returns a response based on the policy it learned in step two. The reward generated by the reward model for each prompt-response pair feeds back into the model to evolve the approach.

The model is evaluated based on its Helpfulness, Truthfulness, and Harmlessness. Evaluation results show that ChatGPT outperforms its predecessor, GPT-3, in terms of its ability to infer and follow user instructions, produce more truthful and informative outputs, and avoid inappropriate and derogatory content.

Thanks to training data and algorithms, ChatGPT can “speak” like humans and provide relatively trusted texts. Since no technology is hundred percent perfect, developers note that the tool may write plausible-sounding but incorrect or nonsensical answers. That is why double-checking the output is necessary. Due to training data, the model is often excessively verbose and may repeat one phrase of a question. So you will probably need some time to rearrange certain words or phrases. But it is definitely less time-consuming than reading through tons of emails or suffering from “blank page syndrome” while writing feedback. 

Internal Communication

When we talk about internal communication, we usually refer to the exchange of information within an organization. Nowadays, it is hard to achieve specific results of common goals without communication. It also helps build a positive work culture, improve employee engagement, and increase productivity. While working in the IT sector, communication is a crucial element. No wonder there are so many meetings, demos, grooming, and other checkpoints. It also includes communication via email. Chatbots like GPT are very handy for tech leads or managers since they have to perform their primary tasks and give feedback to their colleagues. If we put it in numbers, most team leads claim they spend about 30% of their time on code; the rest is bug fixing, documentation, and feedback. Such tools can assist greatly so that engineers can spend more time on their hard skills. So let’s have a closer look at these points. 

Feedbacks

Feedback is an essential part of internal communication, and it helps individuals and organizations improve their performance. However, giving and receiving feedback can be challenging. It takes time to choose the right words, especially when the input is negative. Here are some points that Chat GPT can cover for you:  

1. Writing feedback: ChatGPT can assist your employees in writing feedback by suggesting different phrases or ways to articulate their thoughts constructively and professionally. It can also help identify areas of improvement and provide specific examples to support their feedback.

2. Providing feedback templates: ChatGPT can provide templates that you can use to structure your feedback. This feature can help employees who need help with giving feedback or who may be giving feedback for the first time.

3. Analyzing feedback: ChatGPT can analyze feedback from your colleagues and provide insights on common themes or issues that may need to be addressed. Chatbots can identify trends in employee feedback so the HR department can take action to improve their workplace culture.

4. Recommending training or resources: ChatGPT can recommend training or resources that can help employees improve in specific areas based on your outcoming feedback. This option can help you provide targeted support to your employees and help them develop the necessary skills.

Welcome or Farewell Letters

Welcome and farewell letters come hand in hand with any company. Yet the most significant advantage of AI-powered chatbots, compared to traditional applications, is that NN can learn from previous experience and sound more natural. The model isn’t just following requirements written in its code like a traditional app and can be more flexible. In general, Chat GPT can assist in writing and drafting such letters, as we can see here: 

1. Writing assistance: ChatGPT can assist in writing a welcome or farewell letter by suggesting appropriate phrases, tone, and structure. Thanks to this, your employees can craft a professional and personalized letter that reflects the company’s culture and values.

2. Personalization: ChatGPT can assist the HR department in personalizing the welcome or farewell letter by providing insights into the individual’s background, skills, and interests. This chatbot option can make the letter look authentic, leading to higher employee satisfaction and embracing a feeling of recognition. 

3. Tone and language: ChatGPT can assist your employees in setting the appropriate style and language for the welcome or farewell letter. This feature can make the letter sound welcoming and cheerful while professional and respectful—no blank spaces for names and positions. 

4. Time-saving: ChatGPT saves the time of your HR managers by providing quick and efficient assistance in drafting a welcome or farewell letter, which means that employees can focus on other important tasks and priorities.

Emails

Email is one of the most commonly used forms of communication in the workplace. It conveys information, provides updates, and communicates with colleagues and clients. Chat GPT can automate sending congratulatory, apologetic, or not-apologetic emails, making the communication process more efficient and consistent. Also, the tool can be helpful in saving time for your employees, making drafts, and providing templates for apologetic and non-apologetic emails. It can also provide guidance on acknowledging the issue, taking responsibility, and offering a solution or next steps. Since the topic is rather sensitive it is important to have:  

1. Consistent Tone: Chat GPT can be programmed to ensure that the tone of the email is consistent with the company’s brand and communication style. This can create a positive impression of the company among employees and other stakeholders.

2. Customizable Templates: Chat GPT can be customized to create templates for congrats, sorry, and not sorry emails. This can save managers and HR personnel time and ensure that the email is professional and appropriate.

3. Automated Feedback Collection: Chat GPT can automatically collect feedback from employees after receiving an email. This helps identify areas for improvement and create a more effective communication strategy.

How to Use Chat GPT for Internal Communication?

Chat GPT can boost your internal communication process. It can improve internal communication by assisting with everyday tasks, improving writing skills, facilitating virtual meetings, and distributing news and updates. 

Chatbots are an upcoming trend that your company can also leverage. Companies can use ChatGPT to create chatbots to facilitate employees with common questions or tasks. For example, a chatbot can be designed to answer questions about company policies, benefits, or other issues. This option allows employees to get the information they need quickly and efficiently. 

Besides that, you can use it to translate messages or documents between different languages. An instant and accurate translation can help companies communicate more effectively with customers who speak other languages or work in different locations. Since we live in a digital world and can easily reach people around the globe, ChatGPT can provide you with real-time translation, transcription, and note-taking services. Ensuring everybody is on the same page.

How Does AI Affect Our Productivity?

The use of AI in the workplace is becoming increasingly common. AI can automate repetitive tasks, reduce errors, and improve accuracy, making it a valuable tool in many industries. However, there are also concerns that AI can lead to job loss and decreased interpersonal communication skills. 

Indeed if we constantly “feed” chatbots with personal info, it provides us with a perfectly balanced message that we don’t even look through. But people need others to feel cherished, not only in the letters. Scholars will agree. Gizem Yalcin from the University of Texas at Austin and her co-authors wrote a paper about the human inception of approval or disapproval made by people and by an algorithm. The study has shown that participants reacted equally to the rejection of their request but were more upset about the endorsement made by AI. This experiment shows how people cherish other people’s opinions and personal charm rather than logical explanations. Among other potential downsides is that AI could negatively impact productivity, such as increased distractions or over-reliance on technology. Artificial Intelligence can automate many tasks, reducing the need for employees to think critically and solve problems independently. 

How Ethical is to Use Chat GPT at Work?

The use of Chat GPT at work raises ethical concerns, especially around issues such as privacy, bias, and accountability. No law forbids the use of AI-empowered tools in our daily work. They can provide valuable assistance and improve productivity. Nonetheless, it is crucial to consider the following ethical implications:

Privacy: Chat GPT uses natural language processing and machine learning algorithms to analyze and understand user data, which can raise concerns about privacy and data protection. Companies must ensure that employee data is stored and used securely and ethically.

Bias: Chat GPT may perpetuate existing prejudices and stereotypes in the data used to train the algorithms. Companies must ensure that they are using diverse and representative data to train the algorithms and take steps to mitigate bias.

Accountability: Chat GPT’s decisions and actions may take time to trace and understand, which can raise issues around accountability and transparency. Companies need to ensure that Chat GPT is used responsibly and accountable and that employees know how it works.

Transparency: Chat GPT’s decisions and recommendations may be opaque to employees, who may need help understanding how it arrived at its conclusions. Companies must be transparent about how Chat GPT works and what data it uses to make decisions.

As a result, companies are required to take a thoughtful and responsible approach to use Chat GPT at work. This includes implementing appropriate safeguards to protect the privacy and mitigate bias, being transparent about how Chat GPT works and ensuring that employees know their rights and how to address any concerns.

Conclusion

As we can see, Chat GPT has revolutionized internal communication in many ways. By providing assistance with everyday tasks, improving writing skills, and distributing news and updates, Chat GPT can help companies improve internal communication and boost productivity. Additionally, Chat GPT can help companies break down language barriers by providing translation services, making it easier for employees to communicate across different locations and languages.

However, the ethical implications of using Chat GPT at work should not be ignored. Companies need to ensure that they are using Chat GPT responsibly and accountable, taking steps to mitigate bias, and being transparent about how it works. By doing so, companies can continue leveraging Chat GPT while ensuring that employees’ rights and privacy are protected.

If you are interested in AI tools or services, contact us for more information. Proffiz has been working in the AI domain for many years providing companies with top-notch solutions that increase their revenue and productivity. Moreover, the work of our tech experts has already been recognized by Clutch and DesignDrizzle. The future is here, leverage it with AI.