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The use of artificial intelligence is quickly becoming the norm in the workplace, but some employees still fear they will be criticized if colleagues find out.
Artificial intelligence company Anthropic and work management platform Asana launch their new product 2024 State of Artificial Intelligence Work Report On Wednesday, the organization surveyed 5,007 knowledge workers in the United States and the United Kingdom to gauge their views on the adoption of artificial intelligence in the workplace. Knowledge workers can be loosely described as expert white-collar workers who use analytical skills.
The study found that more than a quarter of employees surveyed feared they would be seen as “lazy” if they used artificial intelligence at work. Another 23% said they were worried about being labeled a “fraud” for using artificial intelligence at work.
One-third said they were worried that artificial intelligence would completely replace humans.
Rebecca Hinds, head of Asana’s Work Innovation Lab, told CNBC Make It that part of the problem is that the company hasn’t provided clear guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace.
“That’s where we start to see people fear being seen as lazy, fear of being seen as a liar, because the organizational environment is not conducive to creating an environment where people feel empowered to use artificial intelligence,” Heinz said.
Overall, the adoption of generative AI in the workplace is rising in both the U.S. and the U.K., the survey shows.
In the United States, 57% of employees use generative AI tools on a weekly basis, up from 46% nine months ago. In the UK, 48% of employees use generative AI tools on a weekly basis, up from 29% nine months ago.
About 60% of employees in the US and UK expect to make increased use of generative AI in the next six months.
The high adoption rate is mainly due to improved employee productivity, with 69% reporting increased productivity as a result.
Employees are increasingly enthusiastic about integrating artificial intelligence into their work, but they don’t feel particularly supported by their companies.
An overwhelming 82% of employees said their organization does not provide any training to employees on the use of generative AI. A lack of communication may leave employees worried about whether they can use artificial intelligence at work.
In addition to policies that incorporate AI, Hinds said the company also needs to explain how AI will change employees’ roles.
“Companies are also not looking carefully enough at the importance of principles, so not just what can you do with the technology, but what is the underlying purpose of the technology and what is the value of the technology to our specific work?” she said. .
“How do we envision our new role as humans and this new transformative technology? That gives employees confidence.”
At the same time, there is also a gap between the views of senior executives and individual employees on the use of artificial intelligence.
According to the survey, nearly a quarter of senior executives said their companies have a designated budget to invest in generative artificial intelligence tools for employees, but only 9% of employees said the same.
Additionally, more than two-thirds of C-suite executives are enthusiastic about the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace, but only half of employees feel the same way — concerns exacerbated by fear of being replaced.
Hinds explained that these concerns are most common among companies in the early stages of AI.
“Companies that have started implementing phases four and five of the guidelines have started positioning AI as a teammate rather than a tool. That’s when we see a real reduction in the perceived threat within any organization,” she added.
Eventually, as companies provide more resources and training, employees can use artificial intelligence in more “psychologically safe” environments, Hinds said.
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