How to survive in AI project as a business student who doesn’t have any idea what AI is?

Let’s start with a disclaimer: AI seems (at least in my opinion) a lot harder than what it really is or at least the basics of AI aren’t that hard. When we first started three months ago a project: “Study on Talent Management and L&D strategies” with our client Headai, I must admit that I was scared, anxious and confused but most of all excited. I didn’t have any clue what AI was and what it meant. So, we basically needed to get information how companies HR teams use AI especially in talent management. We decided to get that information through interviews. Let’s just say that panicked was an understatement of how I felt. Of course, I was excited, but I had no idea what I got myself into. Now, three months later, I feel extremely grateful that I signed myself in this project. We wouldn’t have believed how much a university student can learn in a short time span of just three months.

The project started three months ago by a briefing with Headai. After the brief, our project team felt confusion but also excitement towards a subject which nobody knew anything about. We needed to familiarize ourselves with the subject. With the help of our lecturers, we decided to start doing desktop research on the subject. And desktop research we did. At the same time that we did the desktop research we also prepared interview questions on the topic.  

The first round of desktop research gave us the basic idea what AI really is. After every round of desktop research, we discussed our findings with our AI expert client. The discussions gave us a lot of ideas and matters to think about and therefore taught us even more. After the first desktop research and discussion, we wanted to gather more information on how HR teams could use AI to their advantage, especially in talent management. In order to find information about this, we did more desktop research and modified the interview questions so we could get information on the topic.  

The next step after the desktop research was implementing the interviews. I need to admit that I felt hesitant to start the interviews because I wasn’t 100% sure if I had enough information on cognitive AI to explain the topic if some of the interviewees asked clarification or explanation. After the first interviews were over, I realized that I had underestimated my knowledge and I had consumed so much more information than I even realized. I think that self-doubt is something each and every one of us experience in some point of our lives but once again I proved it to be pointless.   

The results on how companies HR departments use AI, especially in talent management, is in its eternity still unknown to us. I am sure that we will get information on it in the interviews and in the second blogpost we will share the information that we have gathered!  

Suurin osa Showcasen blogeista on toteutettu osana Laurean opintojaksoja. Koko koulutustarjontaamme voi tutustua nettisivuillamme. Tarjoamme kymmenien tutkintoon johtavien koulutuksien lisäksi myös paljon täydennys- ja erikoistumiskoulutuksia sekä yksittäisiä opintojaksoja avoimen AMK:n kautta!

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