Does The Workforce Actually Want AI Tools?

Over half of the employees in a recent study have stated that they use generative AI for complex tasks in day-to-day work, but employers remain more hesitant to officially adopt the technology.

The introduction of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools to the masses spurred a major change in how employees accomplish day-to-day tasks in the workplace. A recent study published by Betterworks suggests that generative AI is being used more by employees spanning across a wider variety of industries.

This study, encompassing the responses of over 1,000 U.S. employees across 20 industries, provides deeper insight into the adoption and perception of generative AI (GenAI) in the workplace. One of the more notable findings in the report is the disparity between employee engagement with GenAI and how their organizations are more hesitant to establish official strategies, or company-wide policies, to address the technology.

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More than half of those surveyed reported already using GenAI for complex tasks — with 61% also stating that it has potential to reduce bias in HR processes. However, the report reveals that only 41% of organizations are actively evaluating or prioritizing GenAI, which points to a notable disconnect between leadership and employees.

The disconnect hasn’t stopped employees from embracing the tech to assist with their tasks. The report’s data reveals how employees are independently embracing GenAI tools to help accomplish high-level tasks such as strategic planning and brainstorming — irrespective of their company’s official stance on the technology. It’s a trend that adds to a certain urgency for corporate leaders to establish some kind of company guidelines for employee usage of AI tools, in order to protect valuable assets like business data.

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The U.S. workforce overall is divided in how it perceives AI’s impact. According to the study, nearly half of the employees believe AI can make their jobs easier and more efficient, but almost a quarter of them anticipate negative impacts. And despite 61% of employees believing that GenAI could reduce bias in HR processes, 57% also stated that they are concerned about the potential of GenAI to introduce and perpetuate bias due to historically biased data.

While employees are quicker to adopt the tech, concerns for security and workforce bias could be some of the major factors holding back companies from establishing official corporate policy related to GenAI.