Most people use AI at work, whether their managers learn about it or not. Meanwhile, business leaders are concurrently searching for non-technical talent with AI skills.
A brand new joint report from LinkedIn and its parent company Microsoft Published Wednesday revealed the virtually contradictory state of AI within the workplace, as employees discreetly use AI tools and employers seek candidates with these skills without the bulk investing in internal training or tools.
The survey received responses from 31,000 people from 31 countries between February and March. This was based on research Microsoft conducted with its Fortune 500 customers so as to add an employer dimension to the survey.
Company leaders showed within the survey that they overwhelmingly prefer applicants with AI skills, even non-technical talent who could use generative AI like ChatGPT.
In the report, 66% of executives said they’d not hire someone who didn’t have AI skills, and 71% said they’d likely hire a less experienced candidate with AI skills slightly than a more experienced candidate without AI skills. Expertise.
Related: These 4 words make it clear that you just used AI to write down a paper, in line with a brand new study
Despite employers’ demand for AI knowledge, fewer percent of respondents have offered AI training (39%) or invested in AI tools (45%).
Regardless of whether employers provide training, more staff than ever have adopted AI tools and are reaping the productivity advantages, even in the event that they fear losing their jobs to the technology.
Three out of 4 knowledge staff, defined within the study as employees who work from a desk, use AI to assist complete tasks at work. The important reason 90% of those respondents said they used AI was to save lots of time.
About half of the group (46%) using AI began recently, throughout the last six months, and the vast majority of them (78%) use AI tools at work “without guidance or approval from above.” .
In small and medium-sized firms, the proportion of employees taking this “Bring Your Own AI” approach is even higher: 80% of employees use AI discreetly, without approval from superiors.
The trend extends across generations – 73% of Baby Boomers and 85% of Generation Z reported using AI tools not provided by their firms.
Related: JPMorgan says its AI money flow software reduces human labor by nearly 90%
At the identical time, about half of staff (45%) said they were nervous about AI replacing their jobs.
Companies like Klarna, the $7 billion buy now, pay later company, have suggested that AI would take over the responsibility of laid-off staff. Klarna said in February that its AI chatbot “does the work of 700 full-time employees.” [customer service] agents.”
The reason why employees are turning to AI tools despite fears that AI could replace them might be because they’re scuffling with heavier workloads. The majority of those surveyed within the report (68%) said they struggle to maintain up with the quantity of labor they need to do. Almost half (46%) say they feel burned out.
“The data is clear: People are overwhelmed with digital debt and under duress at work – and they are turning to AI for relief,” the report says. “The opportunity for every leader is to convert this momentum into ROI.”
