- Workers believe using AI will lead to AI replacing them in the future
- Companies are already using AI to reduce their workforce
- Employers should upskill their workers to cope with inevitable change
A new Forrester report (via The register), as well as data from banking giant Goldman Sachs, have claimed that humans remain the biggest barrier to widespread adoption of AI in the workplace – and it’s probably not the skills shortage we hear about day in and day out.
Although untrained workers still prevent successful deployment of AI, it is likely that employee reluctance is also keeping adoption rates relatively low, with many workers likely to feel threatened by the technology, especially amid continued technology and AI-driven layoffs.
It’s the fear of losing one’s job that is likely the biggest deterrent for reluctant workers, with more than two in five workers (43%) worried that automation could lead to widespread job losses over the next five years.
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Workers Still Fear AI Will Take Their Jobs
For many, this is a very personal threat: About one in four workers believe their own job is in danger, causing anxiety and distrust that diminishes workers’ willingness to actually engage with AI tools.
It’s a sentiment also widely recognized by executives, with more than half (51%) of UK business leaders seeing AI as a way to reduce investment in staff. Half already say AI has helped them reduce their workforce, with 43% of managers expecting fewer entry-level roles to be taken on in the future as they are replaced by artificial intelligence.
According to data from Goldman Sachs, most (85%) of UK executives say they would hire a freelance AI employee if the opportunity arose.
As for the 10,000 SMEs cited in the Goldman Sachs study, 98% say they use AI and 72% have seen an improvement in the productivity of their employees.
The company specifically claims that early adopters are more likely to experience the greatest success, and that the technology is particularly prevalent in the areas of marketing and content creation. With analytics, sales and operations opening up to technology, workers in these sectors are best positioned to embrace technology so as not to risk being left behind.
With this in mind, other industries that currently show low AI adoption are also well-positioned for workers to lead AI initiatives, proving their value and working with the technology rather than blocking it.
Both reports convey largely the same message that AI must be reimagined as an opportunity for workers and businesses, not a threat.
However, it is up to employers to communicate the benefits of technology beyond outright productivity gains, and provide workers with upskilling opportunities to stay relevant in an emerging landscape.
However, the reality is that only half (51%) of companies provide AI training for non-technical staff, and while this is a slight increase from 47% in the previous round of data collection, this training still only covers half of workers. Even fewer (23%) received timely AI technical support, which had an overall impact on usage effectiveness.
While Meta is reportedly preparing to cut 20% of its workforce – a rumor that is still only speculative, but has been partly supported by 700 job cuts this week (via New York Times) – it’s hard to avoid the negative connotations of AI, but moving forward, it’s clear that companies need to do more to encourage and comfort workers when it comes to using newer technologies.
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