Workers are using AI to learn on the job, even though 65% worry about accuracy

Employees are jostling to level up their AI skills, and, according to a new report, also using AI to help them learn more, whether it’s asking for extra help to clarify concepts and solve problems, or picking up new skills.

The report uses results from a survey conducted by Fractl on behalf of the The American College of Education (ACE). The survey included more than 1,000 U.S. workers who use AI tools as part of their day to day.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, a large percentage of workers are using AI to improve their skills. Sixty-three percent of workers said that they used AI to learn skills they didn’t get formal training on from their employer. However, 65% of workers say they worry about AI’s accuracy. Even so, 23% of workers still say AI is their first choice when they need to learn something new.

 Part of this might be because AI provides answers quickly: nearly one in two (46%) of workers said they used AI to seek out answers because it’s faster than asking for help. 

Perhaps even more desirable, using the technology also means workers don’t have to admit when they don’t know something. Almost a third (29%) said they use AI to learn new skills without advertising they didn’t know something. Managers are particularly susceptible: 32% admitting they are learning on the down-low. Overall, 69% of workers said that using AI improved their productivity and over 55% said it helped them feel more confident in their jobs.

Still, while workers are clearly using AI to bridge a gap, they aren’t completely satisfied with its teaching abilities. Only 7% of workers said that they feel learning skills from AI is enough and 39% said they view the training they get from AI as a starting point for further learning. 

Almost half (48%) said that they enrolled in training after AI introduced them to certain topics that they wanted to explore further. Even more impressively, 80% of workers said that they continue learning in one way or another after first learning something with AI.

While AI may not be able to entirely replace hands-on training, it’s currently a jumping off point for the majority of workers who are seeking to learn new skills.

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