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Thought Starters: Exploring Generative AI’s Potential for Talent Mobility

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Artificial intelligence (AI) is the field of computer science that merges intelligence with the ability to learn alongside the power of modern computing, and it’s been around for nearly 70 years. In that time, AI’s benefits – enhanced efficiency, driving innovation and enabling data-driven decision-making – have been improving business processes, increasing productivity and creating competitive advantages. AI is all around us, from virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa that answer our daily questions and help us build our shopping lists, to e-commerce, streaming and social media platforms like Amazon, Netflix and TikTok that continuously change algorithms based on user behavior.    

While the adoption of AI in business is nothing new, “Generative AI” (GenAI) – a type of AI that analyzes existing resources via a Large Language Model (LLM) to generate new ideas, content and data, often in response to prompts – has evolved rapidly in recent years. It’s the current hot topic across industries because of its potential for disruptive change in how we live and work. As GenAI continues to evolve, it’s emerging as a new tool for modern businesses to engage with customers, support employees, streamline operations and maintain business continuity.  

With GenAI taking on tasks previously performed by humans alone, it prompts the question: What does this new development mean for talent mobility?  

Since GenAI has the power to change the industry, learning from early adopters can help talent mobility teams consider how or whether to incorporate it into mobility programs.   

 

Learning from AI Leaders   

Here are three case studies showing how leading technology companies are using GenAI today: 

  1. Language Processing and Decision-Making: Google launched its Google Gemini chatbot (formally known as “Google Bard”) in 2023, designed to generate responses and assist with a variety of search queries. This virtual AI assistant provides Google users with real-time language translation, support and guidance, to help simplify the decision-making process.
  2. Content Creation, Recommendations and Summarization: Salesforce launched its Einstein 1 Platform to assist with a variety of operations and processes, including personalized recommendations of Salesforce products, plus content creation for users’ contacts. This platform is a great example of how GenAI can assist with tasks such as drafting emails and professional copy and making tailored content recommendations to Salesforce users based on their previous interactions.
  3. Scenario Testing and Demonstrations: Apple uses AI tools to automate its testing processes for new devices and software. This not only helps highlight potential problems with the new offerings, it also helps create test cases that demonstrate user scenarios, as GenAI learns how users interact with the products and software.   

 

Potential Applications for Talent Mobility

With technology leaders like Google, Salesforce and Apple at the forefront of incorporating AI into their everyday operations and business practices, the talent mobility industry has the opportunity to leverage the insights and lessons learned from these early adopters. Let’s delve into how their use of language processing, decision-making, content creation and scenario testing could help manage and deliver mobility programs.    


Possible Mobility Application: Decision-Making and Language Processing

Because GenAI can provide instant responses and personalized guidance, it could help mobility professionals make tailored recommendations for mobile employees during their move, simplifying and streamlining the decision-making process. However, mobility teams must ensure the accuracy of the feedback to make sure they’re leading mobile employees down the right path.  

AI systems also have Natural Language Generation (NLG) and Natural Language Understanding (NLU) abilities, providing users with interpretation, generation and manipulation of the human language. Through reading comprehension and text generation, GenAI analyzes situations and takes desired outcomes into account to make suggestions – a potentially valuable tool for mobility teams when crafting and adjusting policies and programs, for example. 

*Important risk to consider: Letting AI make decisions without any human intervention or review is a risk, and it’s a best practice to provide human oversight. For example: If a company leaned on AI to help sort and rank job applicants, the system would likely pull data from the company’s past 20 years of new hires, which doesn’t reflect newer, more inclusive hiring practices. This bias is something that a human could correct during the hiring process. In other words, AI can’t answer the question or make important decisions for you, but it can help you make better decisions more quickly. The Deloitte DEI Institute’s 2024 survey revealed that 37% of its respondents agreed or strongly agreed that their organizations are implementing impact assessment measures to counter potential biases as they incorporate AI.    


Possible Mobility Application: Content Creation, Recommendations and Summarization 

As mobility professionals seek to simplify talent mobility, GenAI can be used to draft a variety of communications — from notes on industry shifts and trends, to a message for mobile employees on a large scale, to a comprehensive end-of-year recap summarizing data provided by the mobility team for management’s review. AI-powered productivity tools like Microsoft Copilot are also being incorporated into everyday tasks like drafting email responses in Outlook and creating formulas in Excel, increasing productivity and saving time. Further, Copilot adheres to Microsoft’s existing privacy, security and compliance commitments while respecting data residency requirements. 

*Important risk to consider: It’s easy to lose the element of human touch and personality through automated content creation. Teams should always work to incorporate the essence of company culture, goals and values by hand. There are small details that make up the bigger picture, many of which are not yet picked up by today’s GenAI tools.    


Possible Mobility Application: Scenario Testing 

GenAI has the potential to analyze various aspects of a given relocation scenario by leveraging both historical and situation-specific data, helping to assess the likelihood of success and formulate a comprehensive plan.  

By identifying process inefficiencies, knowledge gaps and patterns within the data, GenAI can predict potential challenges and proactively offer solutions for mobility professionals to create tailored strategies for optimal outcomes. This not only increases operational efficiency but also maximizes the chances of a seamless relocation while enhancing the overall employee experience. 

Important risk to consider: Relocation scenarios can be complex, involving multiple unique variables such as legal requirements, cultural considerations, family needs and personal preferences. GenAI might oversimplify these scenarios, potentially missing critical nuances that could impact the success of the relocation.   

 

Questions for Mobility Leaders 

Mobility leaders who are considering how or whether to incorporate GenAI into program planning, management and delivery should first gain clarity on the pros and cons of using AI as a mobility management tool. 

The list of questions below can help mobility teams — together with their relocation management partners — navigate their AI journey: 

Potential Impact 

  1. What are your professional goal(s) in using AI?
  2. How are you already integrating it, if at all? What are some simple ways you can begin using it to get more familiar with GenAI, before exploring some of the “heavier lift” uses?
  3. Where do you believe your mobility team will benefit from GenAI the most, in terms of internal operations? 
  4. Would the use of GenAI enhance or detract from the mobile employee experience? Would it add or remove value for mobile employees? 
  5. How might GenAI help you manage the mobility program budget or more localized policies, without detracting from the mobile employee experience?
  6. Once incorporated, how will GenAI impact your existing tech stack and processes?

Ethical Use 

  1. What associated risks - including ethical considerations and potential biases - might arise from GenAI usage? If you’re relocating employees globally, how must you take into account other countries’ rules and regulations around GenAI?
  2. What necessary training and education is required to ensure both mobile employees and mobility teams understand the benefits of GenAI and how to use it properly? 
  3. Which data governance and security measures can be taken to protect customer data and maintain ethical standards with GenAI in place?
  4. How can you ensure transparency in your use of GenAI, particularly when communicating with mobile employees, so they understand when and how AI is being used to influence decisions or create content related to their relocation? 

Assessment 

  1. As mentioned, GenAI is a tool to help increase productivity and accuracy, but human interaction is still critical to ensure exceptional relocation experiences. How will you continuously review the projects and procedures that incorporate GenAI, to make sure you aren’t losing the “human touch” that makes relocations successful? Remember, the mobility team still owns any outputs from GenAI!
  2. As you begin using GenAI more, you should continuously assess its performance – what KPIs are most important or impactful to track? One way to measure the ROI of GenAI in mobility is by assessing the reduction of handoffs made or steps taken to reach an end goal. For example, whereas a lump sum mobile employee may have made six phone calls to track down destination information needed for their move, now they only have to make three because your newly implemented AI-powered chatbot answered half of their questions. 
  3. How will you ensure the company’s unique culture and tone remain intact, despite GenAI’s impressive NLG and NLU capabilities? AI-driven content creation always runs the risk of losing personal touch.
  4. At the end of the day, the employee experience is still what matters the most. How do mobile employees feel about the incorporation of GenAI? Has it helped or hurt their relocation experiences?

 

Graebel’s Approach to GenAI 

The transformational journey driven by AI is already in full swing. In fact, according to Harvard Business Review’s research, “most business functions and more than 40% of all U.S. work activity can be augmented, automated or reinvented with gen AI.” Graebel is embracing this shift and considering the benefits of new GenAI capabilities, led by our Graebel AI Think Tank (GAITT) – a group dedicated to assessing the current and potential future use cases for AI at Graebel. For now, we’re strategically testing the addition of GenAI to our processes and various teams, assessing the best use cases for our needs – and those of our clients and their mobile employees – and exploring its potential within our technology stack.  

For example, a group of employees are leveraging Copilot to generate business planning ideas, conduct market research on emerging technologies, summarize webinars or email threads and generate initial content drafts. These employees participate in monthly meetings to share their experiences, with the goal of identifying areas where Copilot can enhance processes and boost efficiency.  

As we evaluate GenAI’s fit at Graebel, we’re keeping in mind employee education, gold-standard security and governance measures, and continuous internal housekeeping. Our driving principle is ensuring we turn to GenAI only when it clearly adds value and enhances the relocation experience.  

Incorporating GenAI into relocation processes offers significant potential for improved efficiency, better decision-making, more customized experiences and enables mobility teams to focus on higher-level tasks that require insight and sensitivity. It’s not without risks, however.  Mobility teams should understand the precautions to take before implementing GenAI into their processes and procedures, while remembering to maintain human supervision and continuously assess its impact. Through this careful approach, mobility professionals can integrate GenAI into their daily operations more smoothly, enhancing productivity while preserving the human touch — because in our industry, people always come first. 

If you’d like to discuss potential ways to incorporate AI into your mobility program, contact us to join the conversation.