• Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has released the findings of a survey looking at the sentiments of employees towards AI in the workplace.
• It found that optimism about AI is on the up, with 52 percent of respondents classing it as positive.
• Of concern though not enough is being done to train people, with only 17 percent receiving training on AI.

Much has been made of the proliferation of artificial intelligence in 2023, with the use of AI in the workplace proving divisive. While some view it as the future, others perceive as a potential threat to their job.

To gain a bit more understanding regarding the sentiment towards AI in the workplace, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) recently conducted a survey with 12 800 frontline employees, managers, and leaders in 18 countries around the world to gauge its current impact.

Looking at some of the headline-grabbing findings from the survey, BCG says 52 percent of all respondents ranked optimism as one of their top two sentiments regarding AI in the workplace, which represents a 17 percent jump from a similar survey done in 2018. 

Interestingly, concern, which was another sentiment, saw a steepest decline compared to five years ago, falling from 40 percent to 30 percent.

It is important to distinguish, however, that positive sentiments differ depending on which area of the organisation an employee is in.

“While 62% of leaders are optimistic about AI, only 42% of frontline employees share that view. And 62% of regular users of generative AI are optimistic about it, compared with 36% of non-users,” notes BCG in a release sent to Hypertext.

“A majority of leaders (80%) report that they use generative AI tools regularly, compared with just 20% of frontline employees. Further, frontline employees made up the largest percentage of nonusers (60%) of generative AI tools overall,” it added.

More training

This points to another area of concern when it comes to AI in the workplace, as not enough employees are receiving the required training to become familiar with the technology, and see how it can be implemented or leveraged in their day-to-day work.

“To prepare for the new era of AI at work, 86% of respondents believe they will need training to sharpen their skills. However, only 14% of frontline employees say they have gone through any upskilling training to date, compared with 44% of leaders,” the BCG survey highlights.

As such, there is a critical component in this mix that is missing.

Acknowledging this paradigm shift, BCG says it is taking steps to ensure AI in the workplace is handled correctly and responsibly.

“We’re launching the Centre for Responsible Generative AI to support our clients and partners as they leverage and build next generation AI-powered solutions to drive positive impact and competitive advantage, while also informing new ways of working, upskilling talent, change management, and culture,” explained Nicolas De Bellefonds, global leader of AI and Software at BCG X.

“Upskilling is essential and must be done continuously. It should go beyond learning how to use the technology and allow employees to adapt in their role as activities and skill requirements evolve,” added Vinciane Beauchene, a BCG MD, partner, and co-author of the research.

To read and download the AI at Work report, head here.

[Image – Photo by Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash]