Making AI Adoption Less Uncomfortable – For All

AI adoption is transforming business operations, but its success hinges on overcoming cultural barriers and fostering openness to using AI for smarter, more efficient work. Andreas Welsch article.

In October, Gartner reported that 74% of CEOs believe AI will transform their industry in 2024. Yet, 70-80% of AI projects still fail. But that’s hardly because of technology. Slack’s recent Fall 2024 Workforce Index sheds more light on a growing disconnect between executives and employees. It’s especially one data point that I can’t stop thinking about. (More on that in a second.)

In conversations with CIOs and VPs of IT, I hear that their companies already use AI—often developed and implemented by their IT teams. These are real business scenarios in which AI adds value or helps the business team do a task they were unable to do before, from supply chain optimization to product descriptions and document processing. But it’s not without struggles. Organizational dynamics, politics, and resistance to change come up more often as adoption barriers. So, how does all that fit together?

A Common Perception: Using AI Makes You Seem “Lazy”

According to Slack’s Fall 2024 Workforce Index report, 48% of respondents feel that admitting they use AI at work will make them seem “lazy.” They will also likely end up with just more work due to their newly unlocked efficiency.

Nearly half (48%) of all desk workers would be uncomfortable admitting to their manager that they used AI for common workplace tasks. The top reasons for workers’ discomfort are 1) feeling like using AI is cheating 2) fear of being seen as less competent and 3) fear of being seen as lazy.

But here’s the thing: it says more about the state of corporate culture than about AI technology if the most innovative employees—who are evidently creating new efficiencies with AI(!)—are afraid to share that they know how to use AI (and do it). By the way, they still use AI but they just won’t tell you.[…]

Der Beitrag Making AI Adoption Less Uncomfortable – For All erschien zuerst auf SwissCognitive | AI Ventures, Advisory & Research.