- Workers believe that the use of AI will lead to AI replacing them in the future
- Companies are already using AI to drive workforce reductions
- Employers should upskill workers for inevitable change
A new report from Forrester (via The Registry), along with data from banking giant Goldman Sachs, has claimed that humans remain the biggest obstacle to widespread adoption of AI in the workplace, and it’s probably not the skills shortage we hear about day after day.
Although unskilled workers still impede successful implementation of AI, employee reluctance is also likely to keep adoption rates relatively low, and many workers are likely to feel threatened by the technology, especially in a context of continued technology- and AI-induced layoffs.
Fear of job loss is likely to be the biggest deterrent for reluctant workers: more than two in five (43%) worry that automation could cause widespread job losses in the next five years.
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Workers Still Worried AI Will Take Their Jobs
For many, it is a very personal threat: around one in four workers believe their own job is at risk, creating anxiety and mistrust that reduces workers’ willingness to interact with AI tools in the first place.
It’s a sentiment also largely recognized by leaders, 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 headcount, and 43% of managers expect fewer entry-level positions to be supported in the future as they are replaced by artificial intelligence.
The majority (85%) of UK managers, according to Goldman Sachs data, say they would hire an AI freelancer if given the chance.
As for the 10,000 SMEs cited in Goldman Sachs research, 98% report using AI and 72% have seen an improvement in employee productivity.
The company specifically says that early adopters are most likely to see the most success, and the technology has been particularly prevalent in marketing and content creation. Now that analytics, sales and operations are opening up to technology, workers in those sectors are in a better position to embrace technology and not risk being left behind.
With this in mind, other sectors that currently show low adoption of AI are also well positioned to have workers spearhead AI initiatives, demonstrating their value and working with the technology rather than blocking it.
The two reports convey largely the same message: that AI must be reframed as an opportunity for workers and businesses, not a threat.
However, it is up to employers to communicate the benefits of technology beyond simple productivity gains, and to offer workers upskilling opportunities to remain relevant in an emerging landscape.
However, the reality is that only half (51%) of companies offer AI training for non-technical staff, and while this is a minor jump from 47% in the previous round of data collection, it still covers only half of workers. Even fewer (23%) have received rapid AI engineering support, which completely affects effective use.
Meta is said to be preparing to cut 20% of its workforce, a rumor that is still only speculative, but has been backed up in part by the loss of 700 jobs this week (via New York Times) – It’s hard to avoid the negative connotations of AI, but looking ahead, 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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