The Human Element

AI promises much for workplace safety, but people remain the prime mover.

• By David Kopf
• Oct 15, 2024

Artificial intelligence is the new electricity. Just as electricity 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 floor 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 offer 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 flag potential hazards, but humans make the final decisions. 

2. Augmented intelligence (for the next several years). AI systems grow more proactive, not just flagging 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 reflect 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. That’s especially true in complex situations involving trade-offs 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.”  

This article originally appeared in the October 2024 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.