Survey Says Employees Don’t Believe AI Will Take Away Human Jobs

By 2022, 60% of U.S. companies expect to be using artificial intelligence (AI) or advanced automation, according to a study commissioned by Genesys, a leader in omnichannel customer experience and contact center solutions and conducted by third-party research consultancy Vitreous World.

Currently, 24% of companies are using AI or advanced automation with an additional 36% planning to use it within three years — and half of those (18%) within the next year. But that doesn’t mean employees fear to lose their jobs due to AI. In fact, 67% of employees are not afraid AI or bots will eliminate their jobs within the next 10 years, according to an earlier Genesys survey. Only 19% admitted to being fearful.

Half of U.S. employers surveyed say that adopting AI will not cause them to reduce their workforce, while 30% said they anticipate some workforce cuts due to AI adoption. Even so, 53% don’t expect major staffing changes.

U.S. employers told surveyors they believe AI will make their companies more effective, with the technology helping support efficiency in operations, staffing, budgeting, or performance. Specifically, 32% said it enables companies to achieve their goals faster, more effectively, and at a lower cost. And 25% believe it will allow their employees to become more productive and feel more valuable.

Employees, too, seem to be looking forward to the rise of the robots, so to speak. Seventy percent of employees voiced a positive attitude toward AI, compared to 57% of employers. And 32% of employees anticipate a positive impact from AI on their jobs in five years.
Currently, 47% of the employers surveyed think AI will have a positive impact on their company within the next year, with a mere 5% predicting a negative impact. Looking five years ahead to 2024, 62% of employers believe AI’s positive impact on their companies will continue, while the negative has only increased by 2%, to 7%. AI is seen by 26% of employers as necessary for their companies to remain competitive in the future.

In all, the future looks bright for employees and their AI or bot counterparts to work side-by-side for enhanced productivity, with technology taking mundane or rote tasks off the plates of human workers, who can finder greater fulfillment in deeper, more creative aspects of their work.

Source: Genesys