Many bosses are getting carried away with AI, and workers are getting worried

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New research has revealed that bosses are generally more in favor of AI in the workplace than regular employees, with four in five (82%) leaders expressing excitement compared with just three in five (57%) workers.

The study of more than 11,000 knowledge workers from the US, the UK, Germany, France, Japan, Singapore, and Australia comes from Zoom in its latest report.

The figures also highlight how different types of workers benefit to differing degrees when it comes to the use of AI tools.

Businesses need to encourage the right AI

Three-quarters (74%) of leaders noted that AI has helped to save them more than an hour per day, while fewer than half (46%) of regular employees noted this effect. On the other end of the scale, more than half of all workers who don’t use AI aren’t even sure how much time they could save.

The figures illustrate a clear need for education and training when it comes to such time-saving productivity tools.

Moreover, around three-quarters of all leaders said that they had noticed faster task completion (78%), higher productivity (77%), higher work quality (76%), better collaboration (75%), better decision-making (75%), and better working experiences when working remotely (74%) after having deployed some form of AI in their business.

However, Zoom’s study is just one of a growing number to cite the same concerns about AI that we hear so frequently – its threat to people’s jobs, data security, and accuracy.

Along with more education and policies to protect workers, organizations should also tailor their resources to their workers. For example, knowledge workers value AI for automation, organization, and summarization, while leaders think it’s better suited to video conferencing meetings.

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Craig Hale

With several years’ experience freelancing in tech and automotive circles, Craig’s specific interests lie in technology that is designed to better our lives, including AI and ML, productivity aids, and smart fitness. He is also passionate about cars and the decarbonisation of personal transportation. As an avid bargain-hunter, you can be sure that any deal Craig finds is top value!