09 December 2024

Lucid Software has released data from its ‘Workplace AI Adoption’ report which has found, despite 60% of firms claiming to use AI-powered tools, 34% of workers use them less than monthly.

Similarly, although there have been widespread fears about AI replacing workers, 52% believe AI-powered tools will only have a moderate or limited adoption in their workplace over the next five years.

Despite adoption of AI being relatively low, the findings confirm that employees have a good understanding of the impact AI can have on their workday, with 78% believing AI tools will help save them time, 64% believing it will improve work-life balance and 72% believing AI will have a positive effect on job satisfaction. In fact, over 42% of respondents believe it could save up to 2 hours of work a week, equating to over 100 hours a year based on the average working week.

Understanding why, despite the well understood benefits, workers are still not adopting AI tools which requires firms to evaluate the barriers many employees face. For example, a top concern is with data security, according to almost half (49%) of workers. While 57% believe human input in AI tasks should always be primary, 43% are worried their job could be replaced by AI. Unfortunately, these fears are not being addressed by companies. In fact, 40% of firms still lack clear guidelines and policies on AI ethics, and a quarter of workers are not even sure what their AI policies are.

Firms are also struggling to create centralised training on how AI-powered tools can help workers, with just 27% acquiring skills through work-sponsored training. This compares with 44% of workers relying on self-education and 41% experimenting with AI tools on their own.

“AI is helping the workforce ideate, make decisions, and streamline workflows. It enables teams to reclaim valuable hours, focus on high-impact work, and drive projects forward with greater efficiency,” said Dan Lawyer, CPO at Lucid Software. “I have seen firsthand how impactful the technology is, and it’s crucial that employees at every level embrace it responsibly. Executives and leaders have the opportunity to make the introduction of AI seamless, exciting, and beneficial to their teams and organizations so they don’t fall behind their competitors.”