Amidst rapid uptake of technology in the workplace, over half (54%) of Brits don’t feel comfortable with HR teams using artificial intelligence. This is according to recent research from SurveyMonkey, a global leader in online surveys and forms.
AI is revolutionising work as we know it. In HR, it is already showcasing the potential to streamline professionals’ workloads by cutting down recruitment processes, writing job descriptions, and generating interview questions, to name only a few capabilities. Yet despite how the technology is already transforming the workplace, the new research shows that a lack of human training and relevant policies in AI could be a long-term issue.
According to the data, almost half of UK workers (41%) say their company has no AI policy in place and the majority (70%) of people have not received any training on AI — less than half (49%) of those aged 18-34, and less than a third (29%) of those aged 35-64 have received formal or informal AI-training. What’s more, a mere 4% of those aged 65 or over have been trained to use AI, even including informal training like watching videos.
Whilst AI training in the workplace appears to be another fundamental issue, trust in the technology is also a notable concern, with over a third (39%) of workers lacking trust in HR teams who use AI to do their job. The threat of AI to job security is also high with nearly half (45%) of Brits saying they were concerned about this. This was particularly an issue in men with over half (53%) answering that they were concerned about the impact of AI on their job compared to 39% of women.
Zoe Padgett, Senior Research Scientist at SurveyMonkey says,
During an era of rapid digitalisation and increased AI use in the workplace, is it clear that there is still wide-spread scepticism surrounding the technology. The fact our research showed that over half of Brits don’t feel comfortable with HR teams using AI highlights the need for more AI training and clearer AI policies (to address the issue of mistrust). AI has the potential to elevate HR professionals’ performance in the workplace but this cannot be carried out without organisations fostering trust for AI, implementing clear policy frameworks, and training up their staff.
Zoe Padgett, Senior Research Scientist at SurveyMonkey
This SurveyMonkey poll was conducted February 5-9, 2024, among a national sample of 510 British adults 18+. Respondents for this survey were selected from the SurveyMonkey Audience panel. The modelled error estimate for this survey is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points. Data were balanced for age and sex to reflect the demographic composition of each country.
Joanne is the editor for Workplace Wellbeing Professional and has a keen interest in promoting the safety and wellbeing of the global workforce. After earning a bachelor's degree in English literature and media studies, she taught English in China and Vietnam for two years. Before joining Work Well Pro, Joanne worked as a marketing coordinator for luxury property, where her responsibilities included blog writing, photography, and video creation.