As many as 68% of respondents claim that the use of AI (artificial intelligence) will mean a lower demand for employees in companies – according to the EY “European AI Barometer” study. 53% of employees believe that developments in this field will significantly affect the work they do. Even more (65%) believe that artificial intelligence will take over some of the tasks performed by people. Among the managerial staff, 72% of respondents gave such an answer. Artificial intelligence is perceived by lower-level employees mainly through the prism of threats, not opportunities.
Employees fear for their jobs. They believe companies are not ready
We fear the future, but what about the here and now? After all, it's been almost two years since ChatGPT debuted, starting a revolution in generative artificial intelligenceAccording to the EY study, 19% of respondents believe that AI is already influencing the work they do. 38% expect that algorithms will have a noticeable impact on the tasks they do in the next three years.
AI technology is developing rapidly, so the ability to quickly implement and efficiently work with evolving tools will become an increasingly important competency among employees.
– comments Artur Miernik, Partner at EY Polska, Leader of the People Consulting team.
First of all, however, they need to be convinced of this by putting people at the center of the changes, which many companies unfortunately forget about, focusing only on technological aspects. Otherwise, the company risks allocating significant budgets to solutions that employees do not want to understand because they are afraid to use them.
– he adds.
Despite concerns that AI could reduce the number of employees needed in companies, most people do not think it will happen anytime soon. In the nine countries surveyed, only 14% of respondents fear that AI will soon take over some tasks. The majority (51%) are convinced that it will take some time. And 35% say that AI will not take over their duties at all (26% indicated the answer “unlikely” and 9% indicated “it will not happen”). Interestingly, managers are much more likely to fear that AI will take over some tasks (72.3%) than other employees (60.7%).
Another interesting contrast to the concerns about job losses due to AI is provided by the respondents' answers to questionwhether the company they work for has sufficient knowledge to effectively implement AI-based tools. 41.7% of all respondents gave an affirmative answer. However, the results vary significantly depending on the country. In Switzerland, the belief that the company is ready for the AI revolution is prevalent among 58% of employees. In Germany (known for its delay in the matter of digitalization) – only among 34%
In addition, Swiss managers are the most confident that their employees have received the right training to work with AI or that they are ready to transform their company in this direction. This answer was given by as many as 72% of managers. The least convinced are Austrians and Germans (34% each).
When it comes to employees in Poland, they are primarily learning. Artificial intelligence-based solutions have long been available on the market, e.g. in the e-commerce industry. What is new is the expansion of this technology to other departments of companies, such as administration or marketing.
– Artur Miernik says for Next.Gazeta.pl.
Looking at individual industries through the prism of readiness for AI implementation, we see that public sector employees are in the worst situation. Only 19% of public sector managers in the nine countries surveyed believe they are ready for the AI revolution. Managers from industries such as advanced manufacturing (69%) have the most faith in their subordinates, followed by financial services and agriculture (both 65%) and private equity (63%).
We have contact with AI. But more than half of people do not educate themselves in this area
Almost three-quarters of respondents (73%) have already had contact with AI. 38% have encountered the technology in private, 12% at work, and 23% in both. AI-based tools are much more popular among people in management positions (84%) than among employees at lower levels (67%). Despite this, more than half of respondents (56%) have not improved their AI skills. But employees would like to do so – 43% during live workshops, and 38% online.
“AI is mainly used by people employed in large organizations that have the resources to purchase licenses or build their own tools. The rest use publicly available products. This creates risks for the organizations themselves, whose employees share often confidential information with external internal algorithms to make their work easier. This only shows that a company at every level must take care of proper employee education,” notes Artur Miernik.
Among the 44% of those who are expanding their AI skills, 16% are training privately, 16% are professionally training, and 12% are using both methods. Managers are much more likely to improve their skills (62%) than lower-level employees (36%). Among men, 49% of respondents expressed such a desire, and among women – 40%. When it comes to specific countries, the Swiss are again the most willing to learn about AI (60%), while the Germans are the least willing – 37%.
The approach of employees themselves to AI is inextricably linked to the actions taken by their companies. If an organization remains open to introducing AI-based tools, and conducts this process in the right way, i.e. through education and encouraging learning, employees will be more willing to acquire new skills.
– Artur Miernik tells us. “In Poland, large organizations that have the appropriate resources to simultaneously carry out the entire implementation process from the technological and human side are becoming the forerunners. As a nation, we are much more open to novelties than many Western European countries, which can be seen in the pace of adaptation of solutions, e.g. in the banking sector. It is no different with AI. Nevertheless, without appropriate actions on the part of the companies themselves, employees, instead of acquiring new skills, will do a lot not to use artificial intelligence,” our interlocutor sums up.
The EY study – European AI Barometer – was conducted in March 2024 on a group of 4,741 people in 9 European countries: Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal and Switzerland. The aim of the study was to assess the current state of implementation of artificial intelligence in enterprises in various industries, to identify the challenges related to the implementation of AI, to learn about the potential and real benefits of such implementation and the impact of artificial intelligence on employees.