How many employees are using AI at work?

Nearly half of employees in the United States aren't using artificial intelligence at work, according to a new report, while leadership takes the initiative in utilising the developing tech.

Findings from The Quantum Workplace found that 49% have never used AI to help them with their job. According to the report, 17% said they only used it a "few times." Others said:

• Daily (8%)
• Weekly (12%)
• Monthly (9%)
• Quarterly (5%)

Usage of AI was mostly focused on higher-level positions, the report noted, which found that directors had the highest number of AI users in the workforce with 41%. For other positions:

• Executive (37%)
• Manager (23%)
• Individual contributor (20%)

Confidence in AI strategy

The findings come as only 25% of employees are confident in their organisation's AI strategy, with leadership more confident than other employees. By position, agreement rates showed:

• Executive (29%)
• Director (29%)
• Manager (20%)
• Individual contributor (26%)

"Most employees, including executives, are not confident in their organisation's strategy for implementing new technologies like AI. This is not surprising," said lead researcher Shane McFeely in a statement.

Employers have long been encouraged to develop robust frameworks to ensure the ethical and responsible use of AI in workplaces.

"Organisations must leverage the competitive benefits of AI while mitigating current and future risks," McFeely said.

Offering AI-related training

Despite the relatively low usage of AI in workplaces, the report found that 45% of employees want more training about AI in the workplaces.

This comes as 35% said AI will "significantly change the nature" of their job in the next five years.

McFeely agreed that nothing has the potential to impact the workplace more than AI.

"Though adoption is not yet widespread, it is predicted that AI will replace some jobs and make others more productive," he said. "AI has the potential to automate tedious tasks and free employees for critical thinking and creativity."

The problem with training, however, is that only 16% said their manager encourages the use of AI at work.

"Leaders should foster an open culture of learning and innovation while providing guidelines on strategic AI use," McFeely said. "Because of this, HR needs to be at the forefront of your organisation's AI strategy."

The Quantum Workplace's findings were sourced from "one of the largest databases on employee experience" in the US, which included over 700,000 voices from more than 8,000 organisations.