
Use of generative AI (GenAI) in the workplace has seen a significant surge this year, with adoption rising from 22% in 2023 to 75% in 2024.
This rapid increase is most pronounced in the tech industry, where 90% of respondents report using GenAI tools, and in the government and public sectors, with 60% adoption.
These were among the results of EY’s Work Reimagined survey, which canvassed more than 17,000 employees and 1,595 employers across 23 countries and 27 industries.
The report found more than a third of employees report net positive outcomes from GenAI, with 37% citing improved productivity and 36% noting a greater ability to focus on high-value tasks.
Roselyn Feinsod, EY global work reimagined leader, people consulting, said any technology transformation is only partly about a single technology solution itself, but also includes the broader ecosystem.
“With GenAI in particular, there are serious considerations over data integrity, cybersecurity and ringfencing access based on roles, functions and seniority,” she said.
She explained in regulated industries, or in government and public sectors, these practical considerations are understandably and necessarily front of mind.
The report noted even with 75% adoption, employees were still scoring the overall technology experience poorly, with only 46% saying that their day-to-day hardware or company systems were above average or excellent.
“As with any digital transformation that has both narrow and wideband effects across the organization, implementation needs to be closely connected to broader business and talent strategy,” Feinsod said.
She cautioned it’s not just “plug and play” and reap the benefits; focus also needs to be on the workforce, and the overall experience of the people using these technologies.
“If the workforce is ill-prepared or not comfortable with GenAI, then an organization won’t see productivity gains,” Feinsod said.
GenAI Adoption and Skills Development
The findings also highlighted a link between GenAI adoption and skill development, with 58% of employees using GenAI rating their organization’s development and training programs as “Above Average” or “Excellent.”
However, the survey revealed a generational gap in the adoption of these technologies.
While 23% of all employees reported extensive GenAI usage, millennials are more likely to leverage these tools (27%) compared to just 7% of baby boomers, indicating a need for more consistent generational training and adoption.
Joao Janini, team lead AI engineer at Indicium, said to bridge the generational gap in GenAI usage, organizations should design training programs that cater to diverse learning preferences and technological backgrounds.
“Offering a mix of traditional classroom instruction, hands-on workshops and digital learning platforms can make the material accessible to all employees,” he said.
He explained encouraging mentorship and collaboration between younger, tech-savvy employees and more experienced staff fosters mutual learning and respect, leveraging the strengths of each group.
In addition, providing user-friendly AI tools with intuitive interfaces, along with clear instructional resources like guides and tutorials, makes technology adoption less daunting.
“Creating a supportive environment where questions are welcomed and experimentation is encouraged helps reduce technological anxiety,” Janini said.
He added openly addressing concerns and highlighting the benefits of AI for all age groups can further promote acceptance.
“Leadership should model positive attitudes toward AI adoption, demonstrating its value and setting a constructive tone for the entire organization,” he said.
From Feinsod’s perspective, GenAI has the potential to be a bridge for a multigenerational workforce.
“It is a technology that can be tuned and customized to amplify the individual strengths of employees, while filling a powerful support role for areas in which employees are less fluent,” she said.
She agreed with Janini that tailoring the experience is key to realizing GenAI benefits across the generations.
“Personalizing the experience will ultimately build capacity to realize GenAI’s potential,” Feinsod said.