Since the advent of ChatGPT, the world’s largest companies have been quick to talk about their adoption of cutting-edge AI tools.
However, a growing number of its employees are frustrated by their bosses’ “digital illiteracy,” which is holding them back from realizing the productivity gains promised with AI.
Research conducted by tech.io in 2023 found that two-thirds of business leaders have barely adopted new AI technology in their workplaces due to a lack of awareness of its usefulness.
Now, workers say this reluctance is hindering their productivity. According to a survey by STEM advisory group SThree, employees say they waste six hours a week on manual tasks that can be easily automated with the right tools.
About 63% of employees felt that the main reason their bosses did not adopt AI tools was because they were “digitally illiterate.”
“(Not having access to the latest AI tools) caused a noticeable decrease in my motivation to take on new challenges at work,” a Dutch construction worker told SThree.
Meanwhile, a Japanese engineer told the group: “I have to spend a significant amount of time on repetitive tasks that can be automated.”
Artificial intelligence boom in Europe
Europe lags behind the US in terms of big tech companies, with the biggest winners of the AI boom coming from the US in the form of NVIDIA, Google and Meta, to name a few.
However, there are signs that the region’s largest companies, most from industrial backgrounds, are taking steps to adopt AI into their workflow. Automakers like Volkswagen have embraced chatbots for in-car entertainment systems and are looking to use artificial intelligence to enhance safety and automation.
Meanwhile, oil and gas giant Shell has used AI to help with everything from optimizing drilling operations and predictive maintenance.
“The question for European companies is how they can leverage AI more powerfully, regardless of where it comes from. There is a lot of potential for them to benefit from the billions of dollars being invested,” Mark Read, CEO of advertising giant WPP, previously said. At the world level. luck.
However, SThree’s analysis indicates that employees in non-technology sectors are not getting the access they need to the latest automated technology.
There is evidence that workers began to use the technology secretly. A recent report from Salesforce found that one in five workers were “secret” AI users, hiding their activity from colleagues and bosses because they were unsure of the rules and expectations around using the technology in the workplace.
The research provides a counterbalance to the rhetoric that employees are fearful of new AI tools replacing them and are keen not to see their employers adopt the technology.
Customer service workers in particular fear that AI will replace them, with technology groups such as Klarna hoping to reduce its workforce by 1,800 with the help of AI.
“Of course, job security concerns over technological advances are real and should not be ignored by leaders,” said Timo Lin, CEO of SThree.
“But our findings imply that leaders are very hesitant and need to embrace AI in the way their teams have already done so. If they don’t, they will become a stumbling block to their organization’s future growth and a source of increased employee frustration.”