Nothing happens in digital development if the people are not involved

A new episode of the podcast Orkan í náttúrunni has been released. This time, Herdís Skúladóttir, Head of Digital Development, Hilma Rós Ómarsdóttir, Leader in Artificial Intelligence and Data Strategy, and Ellen Bjarnadóttir, specialist in Business Intelligence and Data Utilization, discuss digital development and artificial intelligence, and how important it is to have people on board when new technology is implemented.

"Nothing happens without the people being on board," they say among other things in the episode, and discuss how companies can create an environment where employees see the opportunities inherent in new technology.

When it comes to digital development, it is easy to look first at the technology itself. According to Herdís, Hilma, and Ellen, a large part of the project is actually more about the people and the processes. They mention, among other things, that 70 percent of the project is people and processes, while 30 percent is the technology.

It is therefore important to meet employees where they are, demonstrate with real examples what artificial intelligence can do, and how it can be used to solve problems, simplify tasks, and save time.

This way, people can use their time for more valuable tasks while the AI takes on some of the manual work that previously took time.

Start small and experiment

The episode also discusses the importance of prioritizing projects and starting with opportunities that are easy to utilize immediately. By breaking processes down into smaller steps, it becomes easier to experiment, learn, and see what works.

It also needs to be okay to make mistakes. Digital development is partly about experimentation, and many projects need to fail before one hits the mark.

Managers also play an important role in this journey. They need to be participants, set a clear strategy, and demonstrate in practice that the company is ready to try new ways.

A new mindset

Herdís and Ellen also discuss how the implementation of artificial intelligence is not just a technological project, but also a cultural change. The goal is for people to start asking themselves: How can artificial intelligence be of use to me in my work?

To achieve this, employees need to be ready to acquire new skills and keep up with the developments taking place in technology.

Thus, artificial intelligence is not meant to replace the human hand, but rather to give people the opportunity to develop in their jobs and focus on the tasks that matter most.

Listen to the latest episode of Orkan í náttúrunni here.