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Diving overview:
- Half of companies that lack a comprehensive AI talent strategy will lose top AI talent to competitors by 2027, a Gartner study released last week found. Gartner surveyed more than 12,000 business employees and managers in the first quarter of this year about their feelings about the impact of AI on work and how technology is changing the workforce.
- According to the report, without a strong strategy, AI productivity will not reach all levels of the enterprise. Almost three-quarters of the most productive AI users were managers or executives. And while 88% of employees surveyed said they have access to enterprise AI, they also rely on shadow AI to complete work-related tasks.
- Leaders should stop assuming that using AI automatically increases productivity, the report says. “In the transition to an AI-powered workforce, most leaders are mistaking basic access and adoption metrics for transformational metrics,” Swagatam Basu, senior director analyst at Gartner, said in a statement.
Dive Insight:
A Harvard Business Review Analytic Services study released this month found a disparity in AI success among organizations that have not fully integrated the technology into their daily operations. This disconnect also threatens the company’s ability to retain top staff.
Organizations that want to increase the ROI of their AI investments must prioritize diversity in their use of AI and instill a broad understanding of the applications among all employees, Gartner’s report says.
Gartner suggested that CIOs and CHROs work together to audit their AI strategies and improve the user experience of enterprise-sanctioned AI tools. The report says HR leaders need to play a role in AI governance and decision-making to proactively manage talent-related risks and impacts on employees.
Diana Sanchez, a senior director analyst at Gartner, said in a statement that while employees who use personal AI tools for work report increased productivity, this hybrid approach can be harmful.
“While hybrid AI users are 1.7 times more likely to report significant time savings than those using only enterprise solutions, this behavior increases the risk of corporate data and the risk of attrition of key talent,” she said.
More than a quarter of CIOs recently surveyed by Logicalis said they believe AI is as important a source of risk as threats such as malware, ransomware, and phishing. More than half of CIOs say misuse of AI by staff can exacerbate risks, and only 37% of organizations say they are aware of the AI tools in use.
As adoption efforts unfold, executives should prioritize targeted training by managers who can introduce AI into daily workflows, provide context for AI decisions, and encourage employee experimentation, the report said. Research has found that employees who are proficient with AI across multiple use cases are more likely to be productive, deliver high-quality work, and drive effective process improvements.
Technology and HR leaders should also consider creating an enterprise-wide central repository for AI use cases that can capture lessons and organizational knowledge while minimizing duplicate tools and processes. According to the report, employees who have a positive outlook on knowledge and use of AI are approximately three times more productive.
“The most effective drivers of positive AI adoption are employee confidence in their current and future roles and transparent, ongoing communication about how AI is being used and how it will impact their work,” Bass said.
