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Report Title
The Fall 2024 Workforce Index Shows AI Hype Is Cooling (PDF version) — Slack
Published
November 12, 2024
Most Useful For
C-suite, CTOs and CIOs, mid-level managers, innovation leaders, and AI strategists
Data Sources and Definitions
Primary data comes the Workforce Index, a survey of 17,372 workers conducted by Qualtrics for Slack between August 2 and August 30, 2024.
Key Findings
- AI Investment Continues. A whopping 99 percent of executives say they will invest in AI this year, and 97 percent report some level of urgency to incorporate the technology into their business operations, with 72 percent prioritizing “significant” investment in AI. But in recent months, AI adoption rates have slowed in multiple countries, including the U.S., where 33 percent of desk workers surveyed reported using AI in August 2024, compared to 32 percent in March, 26 percent in January, and just 18 percent in January 2023.
- Worker Enthusiasm Wanes. Even as excitement among executives about AI remains high, enthusiasm is actually dropping among desk workers at large. Only 36 percent of U.S. desk workers in August said they’re excited about AI replacing tasks from their current jobs, compared with 45 percent of those in the U.S. surveyed in March.
Part of the problem is that workers feel uncertain about company rules and norms about using AI at work…
- Norms are Unclear. Part of the problem is that workers feel uncertain about company rules and norms about using AI at work, with 48 percent saying they’d be uncomfortable letting their managers know about use of AI. Top reasons include being worried about perceptions that AI use is “cheating” or that they’ll be seen as “lazy” or “incompetent.” Workers are also concerned that AI-powered efficiency gains mean they’ll ultimately be assigned more tasks to do or more busywork.
- Training Has Been Limited. Desk workers also feel like they lack expertise with AI. While 76 percent say they feel a sense of urgency to become an AI expert, only seven percent considered themselves already experts when surveyed. The majority — 61 percent — say they’ve had less than five hours training in AI, and 30 percent say they’ve had no training at all, including self-directed study.
- Workforce Newbies Know More. Workers new to the workforce appear more confident with the technology. Desk workers in their first jobs are twice as likely to call themselves AI experts. Others appear to agree — 68 percent of desk workers surveyed say the average new college grad has more AI experience than the average employee at their company.
- AI Already a Factor in Job Searches. Despite overall AI concerns, three out of four desk workers say a prospective employer’s ability to provide AI tools and enable workers to work with them is a factor in the job search. And people in their first jobs are 1.8 times more likely to say AI enablement is a “very important” factor.
One Great Chart
How to Apply These Insights
Set Clear Expectations Around AI. If you set clear rules for how employees can and should use AI, and how to document its use, you can overcome concerns the technology is frowned upon. In-person or online discussion groups where rank-and-file workers—and leaders—share both AI successes and struggles can make employees more willing to get on board with AI innovation.
Offer AI Training and Direction. Whether you offer internal AI seminars and documentation or work with an outside vendor, you can address employees’ concerns they don’t know how to use AI, and their desires to understand the technologies better. This can also help offer guidance about what uses comply with company policies and data privacy concerns.
Address Concerns About How AI Is Shifting Roles. While it may not be entirely clear how AI will shift employee roles in the long term, you can still reassure employees that you see the technology as enabling more creative work and innovation, not just more emailing and paper shuffling.
Give AI-Savvy Employees a Chance to Shine. Whether they’re junior employees who picked up AI skills in college or longtime team members who’ve taken to the technology, give employees skilled in the technology a chance to use it, safely experiment with it, and offer guidance to others on what they’ve learned.
Questions to Discuss with Your Team
- What kind of standards and informal policies should we set for how employees should use AI?
- What can we do to train employees to feel comfortable using the technology and use it to do their best work?
- Are our cross-company goals for AI being heard and understood by our whole team?
- How can we non-judgmentally hear and respond to employee concerns about AI affecting their jobs?
- Are there unexpected technical, policy, or cultural reasons employees might not feel comfortable using AI?
