'Some of our employees fear job loss, and it turns them away from AI altogether': AI is helping boost productivity for some workers — but others still say they're afraid to use it

• Workers think that using AI will lead to AI replacing them in the future
• Companies are already using AI to push workforce reductions
• Employers should upskill workers for the inevitable change

A new Forrester report (via The Register), along with data from banking giant Goldman Sachs, has claimed humans remain the main blocker to widespread workplace AI adoption - and it's probably not the skills shortage we hear about day in, day out.

Though untrained workers are still preventing some successful AI deployment, it's likely that employee reluctance is also keeping adoption rates relatively low, with many workers likely to feel threatened by the technology, especially against a backdrop of continuous tech and AI-induced layoffs.

It's the fear of job loss that's likely the biggest deterrent for reluctant workers, with more than two in five (43%) concerned that automation might cause widespread job losses within the next five years.

Workers are still worried that AI will take their job

For many, it's a very personal threat – around one in four workers believe their own job is at risk, which is causing anxiety and mistrust that's lowering workers' willingness to actually engage with AI tools in the first place.

It's a sentiment that's largely acknowledged by leaders, too, with more than half (51%) of UK business leaders seeing AI as a way to cut staff investment. Half already say AI has helped them to reduce headcount, with 43% of managers expecting fewer entry-level roles to be supported in the future as they get replaced by artificial intelligence.

Most (85%) UK mangers, per the Goldman Sachs data, say they would hire an autonomous AI employee given the opportunity.

As for the 10,000 SMBs cited in Goldman Sachs' research, 98% report using AI and 72% have seen improved employee productivity.

The company specifically says that early adopters are more likely to see the highest success, and the tech has been particularly prevalent across marketing and content creation. With analytics, sales and operations now opening up to the tech, workers in those sectors are best positioned to get onboard with the tech so that they don't risk being left behind.

With this in mind, other sectors that currently show low AI adoption are also well-positioned for workers to spearhead AI initiatives, proving their worth and working with the tech rather than blocking it out.

The two reports largely carry the same message, that AI should be reframed as an opportunity for workers and companies, not a threat.

However, it lies on employers to both communicate the benefits of the technology beyond plain and simple productivity gains, and to offer workers upskilling opportunities to stay relevant in an emerging landscape.

However, the reality is that only half (51%) of firms offer AI training for non-technical staff, and while this is a minor jump from 47% in the previous round of data collection, it still only covers half of workers. Even fewer (23%) have been given AI prompt engineering support, affecting effective usage altogether.

With Meta reportedly preparing to cut 20% of its headcount – a rumour that's still just speculative, but has been partly backed up by 700 job losses this week (via NY Times) – it's difficult to avoid AI's negative connotations, but looking ahead, it's clear that companies need to do more to both encourage and comfort workers when it comes to using newer technologies.

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