In recent months, generative AI has garnered a lot of attention, but how much is it actually being used in the workplace?
In fact, a recent survey of 12,800 employed individuals in 18 countries by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), one of the “big three” major global consulting companies along with McKinsey & Company, found that 46% of all employees have “experimented” with generative AI at least once.
It’s a significant amount, but not entirely surprising either given how quickly these generative AI solutions have gained users, according to Steve Mills, managing director, partner, and chief AI ethical officer at BCG.
Even more impressively, 26% of respondents said they used generative AI frequently.
AI optimism on the rise
The BCG survey also revealed that as respondents used AI more frequently, their fears about the technology decreased, which is maybe the best news yet for AI programmers, businesses, and tool providers.
Optimism was rated as one of the top two attitudes towards generative AI by more than half (62%) of survey participants who indicated they used it frequently, compared to just 36% of non-users. Overall, respondents’ optimism in AI increased 17% since the last BCG poll on the topic (five years ago), while anxiety decreased from 40% in 2018 to just 30% this year.
According to the findings, optimism increases with familiarity, and those who routinely use generative AI are significantly more upbeat than those who have never used it.
Leaders currently favor’s AI above front-line employees
Depending on the employee’s position within the organizational structure, there are significant variances in the technology’s acceptance and attitudes towards it.
Front-line workers, managers, and leaders were the three main categories into which BCG divided the 12,800 survey respondents. Although the research doesn’t disclose how many people fall into each category, it does state that the respondents were chosen to reflect an average split of 85% front-line workers, 10% managers, and 5% leaders, implying that the majority of respondents were front-line workers.
Compared to 20% of front-line employees, the majority of leaders (80%) claimed to regularly use generative AI tools.
Only 42% of front-line employees agree with the optimism that nearly two-thirds (62%) of leaders have expressed regarding AI, indicating a substantial gap between management and their workforce. It shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that front-line workers are the most worried and least excited about the technology given news that AI is already displacing some positions.
Broad support for AI regulations
The survey also found widespread support for AI-specific laws among all employee groups. Most respondents (79%) agreed that such rules are important, with the Middle East expressing the strongest demand for regulation (89%), and Germany the lowest (64%).
Three important suggestions for leaders are made in the report’s conclusion. First of all, it motivates businesses to designate areas for ethical AI experimentation. Second, it emphasizes the necessity of ongoing skill development to aid workers in adjusting to the ways AI will alter their line of work. Finally, it emphasizes how crucial it is to create a responsible AI programme since staff members want direction and assurance that their companies are using AI ethically.
This study highlights the necessity for organizations to use AI while also ensuring its moral and responsible use as it continues to develop at a rapid rate. It serves as a call to action for leaders to fill the understanding and opinion gaps on AI within their organizations and to take a proactive role in forming the new AI regulations.
