ai-pocalypse If you're one of those pretending to use AI at work, don't worry: your company could have 15 out of 15 you per 100 people. This is a finding from a study from short-range technology employer Howdy.com.
Research shows that three-quarters of people's employers will use AI in some form, about half of its official capabilities, and expect to use it informally in another quarter. This causes some employees to use it under obsession. Over 1 in 5 (22%) use it in situations where they are not confident in doing so because they feel pressured to drink Kool-Aid. It's tied to Howdy.com with a quarter of employees who say they feel overwhelmed frequently or constantly by this new technology.
Don't assume that AI will always make your work easier, despite companies like Microsoft telling you. A third of employees told Howdy.com that it takes as much time as learning and using AI (along with checking for inevitable mistakes) and working without it. This assumes you are checking the results first. Two-thirds of workers blindly accept AI production without due diligence per KPMG.
Lies about using AI, lying about not using AI
This anxiety over this technology leads to intentionally opposing their overlords by saying they are using AI when they are not. 16% (more than 1 in 6) can lie about using AI algorithms just to keep their bosses happy.
What happens if they just sit still that they actually prefer to use their brains to get the job done? Many are worried that they will be taken over for promotion in favor of those who merged with Borg. In late 2023, EY surveyed 1,000 white-collar workers in the United States and found that two-thirds of them were harboring this fear.
Anxiousness about AI use leads to some strange paradoxes. There's one here. Some people pretend to use AI, others use it, but pretend not. Slack's Workforce Index, which surveyed over 17,000 global desk workers last October, found that 48% were uncomfortable telling managers that they use AI in their workplace. They were afraid that they would be seen as capable, hardworking or not hardworking. Many people felt that using AI was like fraud.
ai-nxiety
This anxiety about AI is about as much as social media anxiety, email overload and Zoom fatigue. The reason is multifaceted. One is the fear of being exchanged. This year, the nonpartisan think tank Pew Research Center found that about half of the more than 5,000 US workers surveyed were concerned about the future use of AI in the workplace.
A third of those people think that AI will have fewer employment opportunities and feel overwhelmed by what is happening. Despite rhetoric about AI creating more opportunities, businesses (and sometimes governments) seem to prove their fears over and over again.
Another reason could be the fear of doing something wrong. According to Howdy.com, one in four workers expected to use AI are not trained.
Jacqueline Samira, CEO of Howdy.com, says training is important, but employees need to embrace new technologies that come into the pipes too.
“The company needs to support services, but the responsibility lies with the individual to show up, practice, learn, curiosity and work for it,” she said, adding that she shouldn't feel the need to escape the pressures of AI. “They need to lean in. It's here and we need to adapt.”
Unmanageable or extreme stress is the result of a lack of clear communication and clear expectations
“Unmanageable or extreme stress is the result of a lack of clear communication and clear expectations,” she continues, “advocating direct, honest, positive communication and expectations.”
Ideally, this will lead to leadership being clear about how and when to use AI. The worry is that many bosses may not understand their internal AI landscape, warns Ronan Murphy, chief data strategy officer for the security company Force Point, who is also a member of the Irish government's AI advisory board. “Many legacy systems have been modified with AI,” he said, adding that it will be more difficult to resolve exactly where AI is being used. If you don't know where AI features are displayed or what employees are doing with technology, how can you guide them properly?
What if you're one of five people who find it uncomfortable using AI for your work? Much depends on the work and what you are asked to do. If the use case appears to be responsible, Murphy retorts that it's time to refute Samira. If you're not trained about it, it's time to raise it in a conversation.
But if an ignorant boss is asking you to do something unethical, it may be time to ask for help. When the film boss told archived documentary photo producers to sprinkle images generated by AI on documentary films without transparency, they founded the Archive Producer Alliance and published an open letter to the Hollywood Reporter on the issue.
The anxiety of AI is inevitable given the power of technology and the play it is gained in the media. Samira likens about it to political overpowering. “It's a tech news card. It's on every channel, regardless of your view,” she says. “All the enormous amount of content generated around AI is consumed. It's been around and everyone feels it.”
Perhaps if you have too much anxiety, it's time to relax and take a meditative breath. Of course, there are also AI-powered apps for that. ®
