Both company executives and their employees are enthusiastic about the role generative AI will play in the workplace, but there is some disagreement over who will benefit the most and some hesitancy on workers’ parts to use the fast-emerging technology in their jobs.
Those were some of the findings in a report released this week by Globalization Partners (G-P), a company that specializes in the products and services for companies with a global footprint. For the report – “World at Work: The Future of Global Employment” – surveyed 2,000 executives and 4,000 employees at companies with a presence in multiple markets.
While the report touched on a range of topics related to companies with operations in different countries, the discussion about technologies at these companies focused squarely on AI.
“As executives eye new tech solutions to help streamline or automate business processes, employees are becoming even more enthusiastic about the potential uses of AI in their day-to-day work lives,” the report’s authors wrote.
The survey found that 92% of employees at companies with offices in multiple countries are excited about using the potential uses of AI, including to automate repetitive tasks, review and summarize information, provide better and more in-depth analysis, and generative written and other creative content.
Similarly, executives see the benefits of AI in their own work, particularly when it comes to the global operations of their companies. They expect the technology to better predict business challenges in prospective new markets and ensure transparency and fairness in salaries. In addition, AI will better help organization catch and respond to legal or compliance risks and understand and comply with new laws and regulations.
Sorting Things Out
However, there are still some differences in how each group – executives and employees – sees who benefits the most from the use of AI in the office and some aspects of the technology’s use that still need to get ironed out.
G-P’s report points to what the authors call a power struggle of sorts that is similar to what last year’s survey found. Almost 60% of executives say employees will benefit more from the use of AI than they will, which contrasts with the view of employees, 58% of which see employers as the biggest winners.
That said, executives with companies that hire internationally are much more comfortable with their employees choosing the AI tools they use than those from businesses that only hire from within their own country. In all, 53% of the former trust workers to choose whatever tool will make their work more efficient – the other 47% saying they wanted them to only use company-approved tools – compared with 36% from the latter group.
While the vast majority of employees were excited about the possibilities of using AI in the workplace, 34% said they are hesitant to use such tools because they worried their managers would place less value on their work.
In addition, there is the trepidation of the unknown. About 27% are hesitant because their company does not provide proper resources for training, a concern that was raised among employees of all ages.
“Without a doubt, AI has changed the course of modern business,” Nat Natarajan, chief product and strategy officer at G-P, said in the report. “There is significant opportunity for companies to enable their employees with AI tools that help streamline tasks and create greater efficiency. Training employees will empower them to use AI effectively and create a culture of continuous learning and adaptability, driving innovation, enhancing productivity and maximizing the benefits of AI integration.”
Need for Employee AI Training
Other studies have also found that employees, while excited about what generative AI can do to help them in their work, also have concerns about everything from job losses and reduced salaries to missed promotions and falling behind other works.
The issue of training employees to effectively use AI technologies in their work is an ongoing point of contention. In a report by workforce training firm Guild, 88% of employees surveyed said they weren’t confident their company would support them in understanding AI, and Guild noted that there were few training programs for workers without a bachelor’s degree, with most of the training aimed at “white-collar ‘desk’ employees.”
Another survey by Freshworks, which develops AI-powered customer and employee solutions, found that 70% of more than 7,000 employees surveyed said they wanted to develop their AI skills to stay marketable.
In a report in July, Upwork, which developed a platform to connect companies with freelancers, 71% of workers said they are feeling burned out trying to keep up with the productivity gains executives expect AI tools to deliver. In addition, while 37% of C-suite executives at companies that use AI said their workers are “highly” skilled and comfortable with AI tools, only 17% of employees reported having this level of skill and comfort.
