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Half of UK workers are using AI weekly despite lack of training

AI worker training
Image credit: PeopleImages.com - Yuri A / Shutterstock

New research reveals that more than half (52%) of knowledge workers now use generative AI at least once a week.

Considering this, you’d be forgiven for thinking that knowledge levels are quite high. Not so. AI literacy remains quite low, with 64% of workers saying they have little to no familiarity with AI tools.

This contrast between widespread use and limited comprehension raises critical questions about the effectiveness and risks of AI integration in the workplace.

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Asana’s Work Innovation Lab in collaboration with Anthropic, a frontier AI safety and research company, surveyed more than 5,000 knowledge workers in the US and UK, and its findings paint a complex picture of the technology’s integration.

Lack of support for AI training

Low levels of AI literacy can be attributed, in part, to a lack of organisational support and formal training initiatives.

The report found that 82% of workers say their organisations have not provided training on using generative AI tools, and just 35% of respondents can identify more than two gen AI tools applicable to their roles.

A lack of structured learning opportunities has led to a majority of workers (56%) taking AI education into their own hands through personal experimentation.

While this self-directed approach demonstrates initiative, it may not be sufficient to ensure the responsible and effective use of AI technologies in professional settings.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, those in the tech industry are most likely to use generative AI for technical writing.

By automatically generating how-to guides, API references, and product manuals, AI helps teams keep pace with rapid product iterations, enhancing the user experience, and reducing tedious workloads of developers and product managers.

Executive-employee divide

Interestingly, there is a notable disparity in AI enthusiasm and adoption between executives and individual contributors.

Two-thirds (67%) of executives express enthusiasm about using generative AI in the workplace, compared to only 50% of individual contributors.

This gap is reflected in actual usage, with 69% of executives reporting weekly use of generative AI at work, versus 43% of individual contributors.

Executives often have more autonomy and resources to experiment with new technologies. They are also more likely to view AI as a strategic tool capable of driving business value, while individual contributors may see it as yet another technology to learn and integrate into their already busy workdays.

Significant differences also arise when it comes to concerns about job displacement.

Individual contributors are almost twice as likely as executives to worry about AI replacing human roles – 37% versus 20%. Better communication is clearly required from leadership.

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The 5 Cs

These findings highlight the urgent need for better education and support as AI reshapes the professional landscape. Helpfully, Asana’s report also presents solutions in the form of the 5 Cs.

Kicking things off is ‘comprehension’, as in companies need to invest in formal education, training and upskilling for staff.

This is followed by addressing ‘concerns’. Though workers prioritise reliability in AI, many companies are investing in AI fueled by bad data.

Thirdly, ‘collaboration’ is cited. Workers who see AI as a teammate rather than a tool are 33% more likely to report productivity gains.

Next, organisations should consider ‘context’. According to the study, just 13% of organisations have developed shared AI guidelines, but it also states that strong policies and principles are required to guide responsible AI deployment, and to assure employees that their jobs won’t be taken over by it.

And lastly, think ‘calibration’. Some 41% of organisations don’t collect any employee feedback on AI tools, but organisations need to measure AI’s impact and value. As the report says, “You can’t improve what you don’t measure.”

If your organisation is adopting AI but isn’t empowering its employees with knowledge and upskilling, and with clear policies and strategies, it could be time to find somewhere new.

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