If you announce an AI pilot with a promise of “greater efficiency”, staff may hear a question you have not answered: what happens to our work? A useful conversation starts with the specific change you are testing. It continues while people try it, and it ends with a decision they can understand.
Before: explain the pilot in plain terms
Imagine a support team testing an approved tool that drafts replies to routine customer queries. Tell staff which queries are included, who checks the drafts, what information the tool can use, and how long the pilot will run. Say what you will measure: response time, corrections, customer feedback and the team’s workload.
Be equally clear about decisions. Has a staffing change been proposed, or is the pilot only testing a workflow? Say what is true today and when you will revisit it. Do not promise that roles will never change. If a change affecting roles is already on the table, discuss it openly through the appropriate employee and representative channels.
Acas advises employers to discuss AI early with staff and representatives. Its consultation guidance also stresses that the issue should be clearly defined and raised before a final decision is made.
During: make it safe to question the result
The people handling awkward queries will spot failures a project plan misses. Ask them where the tool helps, where it creates rework and which customers may be poorly served. Give them a named person to contact and a regular check-in. Record the questions and say what you changed in response.
Train staff on the approved tool and its data boundaries before asking them to use it. Keep a person responsible for each outgoing reply. If staff raise concerns about accuracy, privacy or workload, pause that part of the pilot until someone has checked the issue.
After: show what you learned
At the agreed review date, share the results—including the corrections and the extra checking time. Ask staff three questions: Do you understand what will change next? Do you know who owns errors? Did your feedback affect the decision? Compare their answers with what you heard at the start.
Then say whether you will continue, change or stop the pilot, why, and when you will review it again. That closes the loop. Silence after a pilot invites people to fill the gap themselves.
If you need to map the work before announcing a pilot, the 20-minute task audit is a starting point. For the skills staff can develop alongside AI, read Which Human Skills Become More Valuable as AI Spreads?.
Sources and further reading
- Acas, One third of employers think AI will increase productivity (15 May 2025)
- Acas, What to consult on (updated 10 August 2026)