How to teach your employees to embrace (rather than fear) the growth of AI

Our workplaces are undergoing the next technological revolution, brought on by the warp-speed growth of artificial intelligence (AI). Generative AI is a total game changer for how we work. One day, we’ll look back and wonder how we did our jobs without this technology.

But not today. Many of us are still living firmly in the discovery period of AI at work, and we’re dealing with a big dichotomy.  Employees are incredibly curious about how to use AI to make their jobs easier and accelerate their growth, but very few people feel like they know how to do that.

The results of a recent Wiley survey of around 2,000 individuals across a range of job roles and industries make this clear. The large majority—76%—of our respondents reported that they lack confidence in how to use AI at work.

A recent Gallup survey reported similar findings, with only 6% of employees saying they feel very comfortable using AI in their roles, while about one-third say they feel very uncomfortable.

Employees are stressed out about AI

This transition is stressful; virtually all (96%) of those Wiley surveyed said they are experiencing some degree of stress about change at work.  More than half reported at least moderate levels of anxiety as they navigate the complexities of AI adoption. This is completely natural for a change of this magnitude. Applications of AI generate emotions around job security and a general fear of this new unknown.

Employees will often turn to their supervisor for guidance during times of change at work. But while the majority of respondents in our survey said that their manager is supportive of their efforts to integrate AI, only 34% of managers themselves reported feeling equipped when it comes to incorporating AI at work. This ends up causing more stress and worry for both managers and employees as a result.   

Getting past emotional barriers

AI isn’t going anywhere. To be successful at work, we all need to get past emotional barriers and embrace AI.  And it’s not merely just about staying current with industry trends. It’s about making jobs easier so that companies can compete in their industry and colleagues can accelerate their careers. Failure to drive access and adoption of AI technology can easily cause companies to lose their competitive edge in the marketplace.

Your first priority should be to get everyone to adopt AI in their day-to-day work. In practice, this likely means increasing the availability of tools. Employees can’t use AI if they don’t have it readily available.

But the successful adoption of AI hinges on more than just access—employees need to know how to use these tools and do so responsibly, with guardrails for their respective roles. Investing in upskilling is crucial in navigating this transition. This requires organizations to take a multifaceted approach that encompasses training, support, communication, and transparency. When people understand both what they are doing and why they’re doing it, they’re more likely to embrace change.

Help employees feel comfortable using AI

According to our survey, companies can help their employees feel comfortable in using this technology by providing them with three things:

• Clear expectations around the usage of AI—Employees need to have clear expectations to guide their AI usage given the risks involved. This might require many different steps to manage that risk based on what’s best for your organization. One way you can do this is by laying out a risk controls framework that is right-sized for your organization. It’s also important for company leaders to model the way and advocate for usage among employees.
• A clear understanding of organizational strategy—Making an explicit statement about the role AI plays in your organization’s strategy can also go a long way. Consider gathering a group of internal subject matter experts—whether that be business, technology, legal, and communications experts—to drive strategy and develop standards for your organization’s ethical and responsible use of AI.
• Training on ways to integrate AI—Once employees are comfortable with the tool, you need to train them to actually use the tool. Manager training and adoption are essential elements since so many people will turn to their direct supervisors for help. This group is extremely crucial in providing motivation and encouragement to their teams.

Is AI going to create a once-in-a-generation transformation in the workplace? Probably. Is it overwhelming to a lot of people? Definitely. But if we let ourselves, our teams, and our organizations stay overwhelmed, we’ll never realize all the potential that AI has to offer.

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