Some employees using AI concerned they will be perceived as ‘lazy’ by colleagues, study finds

A number of employees using artificial intelligence (AI) at the workplace are voicing their concerns about them being perceived as lazy by their colleagues, a new study has found.

This was highlighted in AI firm Anthropic and work management platform Asana’s 2024 State of AI at Work report, released earlier this month. The study surveyed 5,007 knowledge workers in the US and the UK about their view on AI adoption in the workplace.

A knowledge worker, as defined by the Cambridge Dictionary, is an employee whose job involves developing and using knowledge, rather than producing goods or services. Therefore, they handle and use information through their analytical skills.

AI has had a substantial impact on the business world, with it affecting the way people work, lead and hire. Despite this, there are still many businesses and employees who are still way about whether they are ready to make full use of such emerging technologies’ potential.

And according to Anthropic and Asana’s study, a significant portion of those who are using AI are worried about how others perceive them.

The study found that over a quarter of workers surveyed were concerned that should they use AI at work, they would end up being seen as “lazy” by their colleagues.

Another 23 per cent felt that they were afraid of being labelled “frauds” for using AI at work. A third of respondents said that they are worried AI will eventually replace humans at the workplace altogether.

This comes in the wake of increased generative AI adoption at the workplace, according to the survey.

In the US, 57 per cent of workers are using generative AI tools on a weekly basis, a significant rise from the 46 per cent of nine months ago. In the UK, this increased from 29 per cent to 48 per cent.

Additionally, around 60 per cent of workers across the US and UK expect to use generative AI even more over the rest of 2024.

This high adoption rate is a result of workers witnessing an improvement in productivity, with 69 per cent stating that they have had higher productivity gains.

While workers are becoming more inclined to incorporate AI in their work, this is not being echoed in terms of support shown by their companies.

In fact, the study found that 82 per cent of workers feel that they haven’t been provided any training on how to use generative AI.

This is in line with other studies released this year, which found that many employees who use AI at work have not received training from their present company, and just a quarter of companies are planning to offer training this year. This points towards a potential training deficit in an area that is becoming increasingly in demand.