Page 6 - OHS, October 2024

E D I T O R ’ S C O M M E N T A R Y
Th e Human Element
AI promises much for workplace safety, but people remain the prime mover.
“Artifi cial intelligence is the new electricity. Just as electricity
“Artifi cial intelligence is the new electricity. Just as electricity
transformed almost everything 100 years ago, today I
transformed almost everything 100 years ago, today I
actually have a hard time thinking of an industry that I
don’t think AI will transform in the next several years.” AI researcher
Andrew Ng said that in 2016 when AI was making great strides in
deep learning and natural language processing, but well before any of
us were asking ChatGPT to plan our grocery shopping.
Well, the new electricity is now transforming the world of workplace
safety. Take a moment to cruise the expo fl oor at a major safety event
and you’ll see AI-backed tools to monitor risks, prevent incidents, and enhance compliance in
ways that were unimaginable when Ng made his observation eight long years ago.
Several factors are driving AI’s rise in workplace safety: AI can sift through the oceans of
data generated by sensors, wearables and safety systems to observe patterns, predict risks and
off er solutions to prevent accidents. Also, AI tools are helping companies ensure compliance
with evolving safety regulations and standards. Lastly, budget-minded organizations will
always seek tools that help them cut costs caused by to downtime and non-compliance.
So, how is AI’s work safety role going to evolve? I’m no technologist, but reading various
experts’ forecasting, I think we can break AI’s maturation into four stages:
1. Assisted intelligence (now). AI systems analyze safety data and fl ag potential hazards,
but humans make the fi nal decisions.
2. Augmented intelligence (for the next several years). AI systems grow more proactive,
not just fl agging risks but suggesting preventive actions. Wearables, for instance, monitor
worker fatigue or exposure to hazardous conditions and send alerts in real-time.
3. Autonomous intelligence (into the 2030s). AI makes safety decisions independently.
For example, AI-driven machinery detects faults and shuts down to prevent accidents.
4. Cognitive intelligence (your guess is as good as mine). AI acts autonomously and
adapts to new conditions, even developing new safety protocols based on real-time data.
Despite AI’s potential, it raises several valid concerns: First, over-reliance on AI can lead to
organizational complacency. Next, AI systems are prone to algorithmic bias; if the data they
are trained on is incomplete or skewed, their decisions will refl ect that. Also, AI systems can
make decisions that aren’t always transparent, and this lack of clarity can pose safety risks.
Lastly, privacy concerns will arise as AI systems monitor workers.
As AI’s role in safety comes into focus, one fact is crystal clear: people will play the central
role in safety management. Safety is rooted in ethical decision-making and human judgment.
Th at’s especially true in complex situations involving trade-off s and judgement calls, or when
human intuition and experience trump algorithms. For safety success, the human element
must remain both primary and pivotal. As Apple CEO Tim Cook said in 2017, “I don’t worry
about machines thinking like humans; I worry about humans thinking like machines.”
DAVID KOPF
Publisher & Executive Editor, OH&S Magazine
www.ohsonline.com
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