The future of work: Understand AI, take the lead

Generative AI is shaking up the workplace in unprecedented ways. Ferdi Kriel and Frederik Gysels of KPMG outline the advantages and challenges of this transformative technology. Back in 2020, solving a task or answering a question meant asking a colleague or searching on Google. Fast forward to 2025, and tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Midjourney have become our round-the-clock virtual teammates. Powered by generative AI, a branch of artificial intelligence (AI), they’re transforming the way we work. “Generative AI leverages vast amounts of data, identifying patterns to create new content using a transformer,” explains Ferdi Kriel, Director and Intelligent Automation Competence Lead at KPMG. “While traditional AI models were trained on small datasets, we now work with online data. This opens up incredible possibilities but can also make the output harder to control.” The technology enables new advancements, such as next-level chatbots. “In the past, you had to explicitly program every response a chatbot could give. Now, it can generate answers on its own, without predefined components,” explains Kriel. “This is a game-changer for applications like HR, where chatbots could address employee policy questions.”