Mediaplus UK CEO: Reframe your comms around AI

Tom Laranjo is CEO of Mediaplus UK, a communications agency grounded in the science of human behaviour.

The company has more than 170 employees and offices in London, Birmingham and Manchester. It specialises in media planning and buying but also has a consultancy called Behave, focused on using behavioural science for strategic thinking and change within organisations.

Business Leader caught up with Laranjo at the annual Tech Show London event, where he was speaking on a panel about AI. The advice he wants to share is that companies need to get smarter about how they get staff on board about the changes that will come with AI.

“We've all seen those videos of CEOs talking [to staff] about how menial jobs will be taken away and pointless tasks will be removed,” says Laranjo, “while looking at the people that deliver those jobs, that do those tasks.

“And at the same time, they're saying we're not going to implement the technology right away, we're in a phased process of rolling this out. So, not only are they saying that your job or the tasks that you do are pointless, but they're telling you you're going to have to keep doing those for an undefined moment of time.”

Laranjo believes this approach is “dehumanising” and counterproductive.

He favours an approach to the workforce that has “more humanity”, by explaining why the technology is important and how, with appropriate training, they can come on that journey. Leaders need to “excite” their workforce about the changes ahead, says Laranjo, “not just tell them an outcome that doesn't feel positive at all.”