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Artificial intelligence tools that monitor employee behavior and productivity could actually decrease productivity and increase turnover, a study finds Recent research from Cornell University.
These tools include AI that monitors, for example, whether customer service representatives are treating customers well or whether employees are slacking. In one study, people who were monitored in this way reported feeling a loss of autonomy and were more likely to engage in “resistance behavior.” Similarly, people who were monitored during brainstorming sessions generated fewer ideas.
On the other hand, study participants who were told that an AI tool would monitor their work and provide developmental feedback did not report a loss of autonomy or increased intention to quit.
These findings suggest that employers can gain employee buy-in for AI tools by communicating that they are there to assist, not judge.
“When artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies are deployed for developmental purposes, people like the idea of being able to learn from them and improve their performance,” Emily Zitek, an associate professor of organizational behavior at Cornell University's ILR School and co-author of the study, said in a statement. “Problems arise when people feel that the evaluation is being made automatically directly from the data and are unable to put it into context.”
