'AI is bringing out antisocial behaviour in Australian workers'
Most concerns surrounding AI involve potential job losses, but a new report from Indeed is suggesting that its impact on workplace relationships is a more immediate concern.
In a survey among 1,001 Australian workers, Indeed found that 56% of employees are using AI tools to help them with their work.
This includes 40% of employees who choose to use AI so they don't have to interact with their colleagues, and 29% who admit to trusting AI more than the people they work with.
"AI is bringing out antisocial behaviour in Australian workers and this is perhaps more of an immediate concern than whether it will cost jobs," said Amanda Gordon, Indeed's Workplace Psychologist, in a statement.
"It's worrying that the majority of white-collar workers would rather interact with a machine than a work mate."
Disconnecting from colleagues
According to the report, 61% of Australian employees prefer asking AI for help with work tasks over consulting their colleagues.
More than half of AI users also said they would turn to the technology for help with difficult conversations (59%) and to vent about work issues (54%).
Another 47% also admitted that they would choose to have a casual conversation with AI instead of a co-worker, while 1.7 million would be more likely to turn to AI for advice when dealing with a workplace relationship issue.
"Our findings highlight that people's increased connection to tech is disconnecting them from others, and this will undoubtedly exacerbate the epidemic of loneliness," Gordon said.
According to the workplace psychologist, AI tools shouldn't be used to the detriment of human connection.
"Employees who have good relationships with their colleagues report higher levels of happiness at work. It therefore stands to reason that if people actively avoid their colleagues, there will be repercussions on wellbeing in the workplace," she said.
