Orlando — A conversation with three executives of artificial intelligence vendor Benchmark Gensuite at the American Society of Safety Professionals annual meeting kicked off with all three saying what a difference a year makes in the attitudes of attendees.

ISHN spoke with Natasha Porter, chief customer officer, Andrew Cox, VP customer success, and Nick Frindt, leader, global subscriber development.

Fear of losing your job to AI still comes up, but widespread concerns are dissipating, they said. Part of that uncertainty was simple fear of the unknown. Even though Porter has made AI presentations at the ASSP meeting for the past five years, and many people use AI without knowing it (think of the strength of a password being graded from poor to good, Google search summaries or words popping up in anticipation of what you’re texting), there has been a knowledge gap in the safety field when it comes to AI.

“Last year no one was coming to the booth asking questions,” said Cox.

“This year we’re getting many more questions. The change is incredible,” said Frindt.

“There’s a huge increase in asking questions,” said Cox. “Everyone sees AI and comes running.”

There are several reasons why fear has turned into investigating:

• Speakers at the conference say AI for safety apps has reached the mass media/peak hype phase of the Gartner Hype Cycle for new technologies, following a slow build-up of momentum.
• Most pros are using AI for personal applications — particularly ChatGPT-like models for emails and research, said Frindt.
• As personal use increases, trust and confidence in AI’s potential has increased, said Cox.
• Porter estimates 50-60% of professionals now use ChatGPT to write procedures such as job safety analyses or confined space entry protocols.
• Job security is less of an issue. Many workplaces are understaffed and there is no fat to cut, said Cox. And there is a widespread belief AI generated data outputs, analyses, action plans and suggestions need to be reviewed by experienced pros using judgment and critical thinking, said Porter.
• Competitive pressure is growing. Senior leaders more knowledgeable about AI and how competitors are using it ask safety departments: What are you doing with AI?
• The potential for AI to solve longstanding headaches is more apparent as trust levels rise. Underreporting has long been an issue. AI helpers or tools make data entry on the floor or construction site faster and simpler, said Cox. Dashboard cameras can improve driver safety by coaching drivers if braking or distancing are lax. When it comes to correcting at risk behaviors, experts stress the need for feedback to be presented positively, not plopping down a report saying, “here’s what AI said you did on your last shift.”

Right now, Porter estimates that about one-third of safety pros are observing, learning about AI, a third are exploring, piloting AI projects, and another third are actively implementing AI systems. By next year she says one half of pros may be actively implementing AI. Porter hopes the adoption rate continues to grow so pros spend less time in the office on administrative tasks and more time out on the floor or in field addressing priority risks identified with the help of AI, and making a real difference.