The integration of AI into workplaces appears to be a growing trend, but the majority of workers remain in the dark about how their employers are implementing this technology. A survey conducted by UKG, a firm specializing in human resources and workforce technology, found that 54% of employees admit to being uninformed about their company’s AI applications. The survey gathered responses from over 4,000 individuals ranging from employees and managers to C-suite executives across 10 different countries.
Beneficial Tool
Interestingly, 68% of those in the C-suite acknowledged that their companies have made AI-related decisions that don’t align with the best interests of their employees. Despite this, UKG encourages workers to view AI as a beneficial tool rather than a threat to their job stability. The survey shows that 56% of the workforce is already utilizing AI to either automate or enhance their job responsibilities. Among those using AI transparently, 75% reported experiencing increased efficiency, productivity, and accuracy in their work.
“People jump to ‘all or nothing.’ The reality is that it’s going to automate tasks, not automate a full job in most cases,” said UKG chief product and technology officer Hugo Sarrazin.
Transparency seems to be a key factor in how AI is perceived in the workplace; the same percentage (75%) of workers stated they would have a more positive view of AI if their companies were more open about its usage. The survey suggests leveraging employees’ personal experiences with technology as a starting point for discussions about AI at work. Although just 44% of global employees believe they interact with AI in their personal lives, at least 90% have used AI applications such as maps and navigation (66%), predictive product/entertainment recommendations (50%), text editors or autocorrect (47%), virtual home assistants (46%), and intelligent chatbots (31%).
Looking ahead, companies anticipate that by 2028, 70% of their workforce will be utilizing AI to some extent in their job roles. From a leadership perspective, 71% of C-suite executives consider advancing their AI capabilities to be a high or medium priority, and 62% express concerns about their company not adopting AI quickly enough.
Transparency
However, the broader implementation of AI in the workplace also necessitates the establishment of internal AI model usage protocols, the creation of AI ethical codes, and a commitment to transparency, especially in disclosing how much the management is investing to upskill employees in the AI era.
“Organizations must be more upfront about how they’re using AI in the workplace if they want a competitive advantage and want to earn, and keep, the trust of their employees,” said Dan Schawbel, managing partner at Workplace Intelligence, which partnered with UKG for the study.
