Employers told to train staff amid AI adoption

Employers across Australia are told to provide artificial intelligence training to their workforce as new reports indicate that its adoption across workplaces is becoming more widespread.

Findings from G-P's latest report found that 86% of Australian business leaders have already established an AI programme in their organisation, while 87% are planning to invest in the technology this year.

But the report said employers appear to put more premium on AI over people.

Six in 10 executives admitted that they are investing more on implementing and developing AI technology and tools than in hiring and retaining employees.

This is despite an overwhelming 99% saying their organisation will need new roles to implement and monitor AI successfully.

Zachary Chertok, research manager for employee experience at IDC, said AI has the potential to drive value impact, but only when in partnership with a future-ready workforce.

"AI is shifting the narrative for digital use cases into a focus on workforce empowerment. Building a winning formula with AI requires organisations to invest in training the workforce for how to collaborate with AI-based tools just as much as it requires them to invest in the tools themselves," he said in a statement.

Demand in training

Employers have long been advised to train and upskill their employees as they adopt more AI tools in the workplace.

Even employees are calling for such measures. Previous reports have revealed that even those confident in using generative AI tools want some level of training on utilising them.

Nat Natarajan, chief product and strategy officer at G-P, said organisations have "just scratched the surface of AI," with its further potential yet to be realised.

"AI is evolving at exponential rates, strategic planning, investment, and continuous learning will be required for businesses looking to leverage the technology to thrive on the global stage," Natarajan said in a statement.