The vast majority (85 per cent) of office workers believe AI will enhance their roles instead of replace them, research by Jitterbit has revealed.
According to the poll of 1,022 full-time office workers in the US and the UK, 96 per cent of office workers think AI can improve their professional skills.
The study found that the most anticipated benefits of AI include less time spent getting information from work systems and applications (46 per cent); more time for thoughtful work (33 per cent); and more time for larger projects (33 per cent).
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A further three in five (61 per cent) office workers also cited being unconcerned about AI taking over human jobs.
According to Alan Price, CEO of BrightHR, the poll results showed that an increasing number of businesses and employees were adopting AI to boost their professional abilities and workplace productivity. “These are very encouraging results, dispelling fears of a ‘jobs apocalypse’ and showing that AI can be harnessed to help educate, upskill and develop the digital workforces of today,” he said.
“The very fact that there’s now less fear that AI is going to replace roles is a clear sign that confidence in AI is rising. With mounting economic pressures, workload and delivery expectations for employees are high, meaning more employees are using AI to save time and improve the quality and speed of their work, which is a clear benefit to business.
“Ultimately, AI is unlikely to lead to a wave of job displacement, but not learning how to use AI compliantly and effectively might. It takes an element of trust in your employees to adopt AI responsibly.”
Price added that it was best practice to implement an “AI in the workplace policy” that included the ethical and legal aspects of utilising it.
Idris Arshad, head of people at Asthma + Lung UK, said: “AI will, depending on how we use it, give us the technical knowledge related to our specific professions. For example, if I wanted AI to give me a summary of employment tribunal judgments relating to equal pay, I would learn something new there. As long as we treat AI as that job enricher it will give us learning on the job.”
However, he added: “AI needs governance and, some argue, regulation. For organisations, we need to have a framework of how we use AI and in what situations, and who is accountable and responsible for AI to give people clarity.”
Meanwhile, Steve Nicholls, managing director of Executive Connexions, said the report highlighted a “pivotal shift” in the perception of AI, with a majority of office workers viewing it as a tool for enhancing roles and skills.
He told People Management: “AI can revolutionise job functions by automating mundane tasks, allowing employees to focus on strategic activities requiring critical thinking and creativity.”
He noted that, while there were concerns about job displacement, these could be alleviated via upskilling, open communication and ethical deployment. “Ensuring AI promotes fairness, transparency and privacy, alongside fostering human-AI collaboration, will help harness its potential for a more efficient and fulfilling workplace,” he explained.
Similarly, Lucy Fitzgerald, CEO and founder of Fitzgerald HR, said: “Employers need to work consciously to communicate openly with their employees as and when they are researching and implementing technological advancements.
“If AI is introduced suddenly without explanation, it may cause concern. However, if it is part of a bigger conversation, explaining the ‘why’ and how it will benefit individuals, as well as the organisation, it will be much more likely to be accepted, rather than feared.”
She added: “As AI technology is developing at such a fast rate, even beyond ways to monitor and regulate these advancements, I believe there will always be concerns about job losses as no one truly knows where AI will be this time next year, let alone in five to 10 years’ time.
“However, organisations can mitigate fears by facing AI head on and helping their employees become part of the movement and fluent with its capabilities. Offering employees relevant training on AI will be key to this.”
Younger workers most excited about skills
The study also found that 86 per cent of office workers see AI as a valuable educational resource, jumping to 98 per cent for those aged 18 to 25.
In addition, it found that the top skills office workers wanted to learn through AI were analytical and statistical skills (36 per cent); financial management skills (35 per cent); and coding and development (32 per cent).
Fitzgerald said: “A natural reaction to any change is always a certain level of trepidation and apprehension. Many will sit firmly within their comfort zones and believe the current system works, so why fix what’s, for all intents and purposes, not broken?
“However, particularly with Gen Z who are fast becoming a key part of the workforce, we’re seeing far less resistance to AI and other technological advancements because a large proportion of the workforce is now much more comfortable with technology in all guises after ultimately growing up with this.”
For more information about using AI as a people professional, visit the CIPD resources topic page