Employees and executives disagree on the importance of AI, according to a survey of over 17,000 desk workers worldwide conducted by Slack.
Nearly all executives surveyed (99%) say they plan to invest in AI, and most feel a “level of urgency” to do so (97%). Yet interest among those who actually use the tools has cooled and nearly leveled off in the US.
The percentage of Americans who report feeling excited about AI helping them complete their tasks dropped from 45% to 36% over the past three months. Interest also dropped in other countries surveyed, such as France (53% to 41%), Japan, and the UK.
“With so many businesses making AI investments right now, these findings are a real wakeup call to leaders,” says Christina Janzer, head of Slack’s Workforce Lab.
Keep in mind that Slack may have a vested interest in boosting employee interest in AI since it has invested in AI features. Other companies, such as Anthropic, are also targeting AI in the workplace and hoping employees embrace it.
The Slack survey found a slight increase in AI usage, up one percentage point between March and August 2024 for US respondents (32% to 33%). In fairness, that’s way up from just a year ago, but a slowing growth rate.
(Credit: Slack)
Is it a natural lull or a greater issue? Some experts say AI has entered the “trough of disillusionment,” a low point in the Gartner hype cycle before the technology eventually reaches a more stable, productive state.
Like the executives, most employees (76%) also feel a sense of urgency to “become an AI expert,” citing industry trends and personal goals. There’s also a perception that younger employees, especially college graduates, have more AI skills than the average employee.
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Employees feel the tech can help with administrative tasks (87%), core work projects (80%), and innovative or creative work projects (81%). At the same time, they worry AI will “actually increase their workload—with leaders expecting them to do more work at a faster pace,” says Janzer.
AI has also become a taboo subject, with nearly half (48%) of all survey respondents saying they would feel uncomfortable admitting to their manager that they used AI. Many feel like it’s cheating (47%), could make them seem less competent (46%), or make them appear lazy (46%).
Tasks for which US respondents are most uncomfortable disclosing that they used AI. (Credit: Slack)
Methodology: The survey polled 17,372 workers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, and the US and was fielded between Aug. 2-30, 2024.
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About Emily Dreibelbis Forlini
Senior Reporter
