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Upsurge in AI at work exposes lack of guidance

Published on: 6 Sep 2023

Staff at UK and US companies are increasingly using AI – but less than a quarter of firms offer guidance on it.

AI

A study by US-based human resources technology specialist Asana reveals that 36% of knowledge workers across the two countries use AI at least weekly. Around 30% use AI for data analysis and 25% use it for administrative functions.

In the US, 45% of employees said they are keen to use AI for brainstorming, compared with 32% of their UK counterparts.

More than half (55%) expect their companies to use AI for goal-setting, and 61% are confident that AI will help their organisations to reach objectives more effectively than traditional methods.

However, the research reveals that only 24% of firms have policies or guidance on using AI at work. This means 26% of staff are unsure whether they should use it for fear of being seen as lazy, while 20% think they are frauds for doing so. Just 17% of employees across the two countries have received training on how to use AI in their day-to-day work.

Asana said that workers need clearer guidelines, more training and accessible AI tools that enhance people rather than replace them.

“Employees see the potential of AI to save time and help them focus on more strategic tasks,” said chief information officer Saket Srivastava. “However, there are clear obstacles, with some employees harbouring concerns about how their AI use could be perceived by peers and managers. They can’t navigate this AI shift alone.”