Survey: Workers feel more worried than hopeful about AI in the workplace

A new survey from Pew Research Centre sheds light on how workers are experiencing and perceiving artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace.

The survey, conducted between 7th and 13th October 2024, gathered responses from 5,273 employed adults in the United States, all working either part-time or full-time. It forms part of Pew Research Centre’s American Trends Panel (ATP), which regularly surveys a nationally representative group of participants recruited through random residential address sampling. Responses were collected via online surveys and live telephone interviews, with weighting applied to ensure representativeness across demographics such as gender, age, education, income, race, and political affiliation.

A workforce more worried than hopeful about AI’s role in the future

One of the most striking findings is that 52 per cent of workers feel worried about how AI will affect the workplace in the future. This sense of unease far outweighs the 36 per cent who feel hopeful, highlighting a clear anxiety among employees about AI-driven change. Additionally, 33 per cent say they feel overwhelmed, while only 29 per cent feel excited about AI’s potential in their jobs.

For HR leaders, this signals a need for proactive communication and support around AI adoption to alleviate employee concerns.

Limited AI exposure in practice, but potential is recognised

Despite the rapid rise in AI tools, only 16 per cent of workers say at least some of their work currently involves AI, and a mere two per cent say most or all of their work is done with AI. The majority – 63 per cent – report they do not use AI much or at all in their jobs. However, 25 per cent believe at least some of their work could be done using AI tools in the future, indicating growing awareness of AI’s potential relevance.

Younger and more educated workers lead the way

AI use is higher among younger workers and those with higher educational attainment. Among those with a bachelor’s degree or higher, 20 per cent report using AI at work, compared to just 13 per cent of workers with some college education or less. Age plays a role too: 17 per cent of workers under 50 use AI at work, compared to 13 per cent of those 50 and over.

This generational and educational divide highlights an important consideration for training and upskilling initiatives, particularly for older and less formally educated staff.

AI and future job security – fears outweigh optimism

HR leaders should also take note of employee perceptions of AI’s impact on job security. Only six per cent believe AI will create more job opportunities for them, while 32 per cent think it will lead to fewer opportunities. Another 31 per cent say it will make no real difference.

Workers in lower and middle-income brackets are the most likely to anticipate fewer opportunities, while higher-income employees are more likely to say it won’t significantly affect their prospects.

This suggests HR strategies around reskilling and career pathing should particularly focus on lower and middle-income staff, where anxieties about AI-related job displacement are most pronounced.

AI chatbots: Limited but growing use in daily tasks

While the general use of AI in the workplace is still modest, AI chatbots – such as ChatGPT and Copilot – are gradually entering some workers’ routines. About nine per cent use chatbots daily or a few times a week, and seven per cent use them a few times a month. However, a majority – 55 per cent – say they rarely or never use them, and 29 per cent have never heard of workplace AI chatbots at all.

Among those who do use chatbots, the most common applications are:

• Researching information (57 per cent)
• Editing written content (52 per cent)
• Drafting reports or documents (47 per cent)
• Summarising information from meetings or documents (40 per cent)

This shows that where AI is used, it is mainly as an assistant for knowledge work – a trend likely to expand across industries.

Perceived usefulness

Among workers using AI chatbots, 40 per cent say they are extremely or very helpful in allowing them to work faster. However, fewer – 29 per cent – say they are extremely or very helpful in improving work quality.

This perception gap underscores the importance of quality control processes and training to ensure that efficiency gains do not come at the expense of work standards.

Employer stance

For HR professionals interested in benchmarking, it is worth noting that 50 per cent of workers say their employers neither encourage nor discourage the use of AI chatbots. Only 12 per cent say their employer encourages it, while eight per cent say their employer discourages it.

However, some sectors stand out. In information technology, banking and finance, and professional services, more workers say AI chatbot use is actively encouraged – an indication that sectoral differences in AI readiness are already emerging.

What should HR teams do with this data?

The findings highlight a clear mismatch between workers’ awareness and use of AI tools and their concerns about job security and the future of work. HR professionals and managers can take several steps to bridge this gap:

• Transparent communication: Share clear messaging about how AI will be used within the organisation and how it could support – rather than replace – employees.
• Targeted training: Focus on upskilling older and lower-educated workers who may feel most at risk, and who are currently the least likely to engage with AI.
• Highlight opportunities: Emphasise how AI can enhance roles rather than eliminate them, focusing on collaborative AI use rather than automation.
• Monitor employee sentiment: Regularly survey staff sentiment on AI adoption to spot emerging concerns early.