SAN FRANCISCO — With the recent rise of artificial intelligence to the forefront of business, most office workers are wondering how often they should use the technology and whether it will eventually be replaced by computers. I think so.
These are among the highlights of a recent survey conducted by workplace communication platform Slack. After conducting in-depth interviews with 5,000 desktop workers, Slack concluded that there are five types of AI personalities in the workplace. The “Underground” who secretly use AI, the “Rebels” who hate AI, the “Superfans” who are excited about AI but have not yet taken advantage of it, and the “Observers” who are taking a wait-and-see attitude.
Only 50% of respondents fall into the maximalist or underground category, posing a challenge for companies looking to get their employees to embrace AI technology. The Associated Press recently spoke with Christina Jantzer, Slack’s senior vice president of research and analytics, to discuss the excitement and nerves surrounding AI.
Q: What do you think about the widespread perception of AI in the workplace?
A: This shows that people are experiencing AI in very different ways and have very different feelings about it. Understanding those emotions can help us understand what drives the use of AI. If people feel guilty or anxious about it, they won’t use it. Therefore, we need to understand where people are and guide them to learn the value of this new technology.
Q: The Maximalist and The Underground both seem to be early adopters of AI in the workplace, what are the differences in their attitudes?
A: Maximalists are all about AI. They see value in it, they’re excited about it, and they’re willing to share what they’re using. This is a major factor promoting its use among other people.
Underground is very interesting to me. They’re using it, but they’re hiding it. There are various reasons for that. They are worried that they will be seen as incompetent. They fear that AI will be seen as fraudulent. So we have an opportunity to provide them with clear guidelines so that they understand that their use of AI is celebrated and encouraged. But at this point, there are no guidelines from the company and I don’t feel particularly encouraged to use them.
Overall, there’s more excitement about AI than not, so I think that’s great. We just need to figure out how to use it.
Q: What about the 19% of workers in Slack’s survey who fit the rebel description?
A: Rebels are often women, which is very interesting. Three out of five rebels are women, which I obviously don’t want to see. Additionally, rebels tend to be older. At high levels, men adopt technology at higher rates than women.
Q: Why do you think women are more resistant to AI than men?
A: Women are more likely to see AI as a threat and more likely to worry that AI will take their jobs. To me, it shows that women don’t feel as trusted in the workplace as men. People are more likely to try out AI if they feel trusted by their boss. It is possible that women are reluctant to introduce technology that could be seen as a replacement for them, whereas men feel confident that such a thing will not happen because they feel trusted. There is a gender.
Q: What should employers do if they want their employees to leverage AI in the workplace?
A: We find that 3 out of 5 desk workers don’t even have clear guidelines regarding AI because their company doesn’t tell them anything. This is a big opportunity.
Another opportunity to promote the use of AI in the public sphere. If you can create a culture where it is celebrated and see how people are using it, then people will know that it is accepted and celebrated. That way they can be inspired.
Third, many people don’t know where to start, so we have to build a culture of experimentation where people feel comfortable trying, testing, and getting used to it. In fact, you don’t have to completely change your job, you can start small. Having AI write emails or summarize content is a great starting point to start understanding what this technology can do.
Q: Do you think people are justified in worrying that people will lose their jobs because of AI?
A: People with AI will be replaced by people without AI.
